STAMPING OUT POT AT SHOWS IS NO EASY TASK

Outdoor Concerts Can Hinder Enforcement

The stage lights go dim. A pungent odor saturates the air.

And those aren't fireflies flickering in the summer night.

In American culture, music and marijuana have been like popcorn and
butter since the advent of the jazz era in the early 20th century.

That history doesn't discourage drug-prevention specialist Lisa
Silverman of Carmel Valley from trying to reverse society's casual
attitude toward the forbidden herb.

In August, Silverman attended a free Ziggy Marley concert at the Del
Mar Racetrack, just as she had the previous year, to see if pot
smokers were as abundant as before. Sure enough, bongs, blunts and
joints were ablaze.

Not only were the pot-puffing reggae fans not intimidated by security
guards, they offered some to anti-marijuana crusader Silverman, 49.

"There were very few attendees who were not smoking marijuana,"
Silverman said, recounting her reconnaissance mission recently to a
stunned board of directors for the fairgrounds.

Officials for the 22nd District Agricultural Association, the state
agency that oversees the 360-acre fairgrounds, appeared concerned and
agreed to investigate.

One possible backlash: The state-owned fairgrounds may avoid booking
bands that attract a plethora of pot smokers. The fairgrounds hosts
about 30 major concerts each year, including 10 booked by the Del Mar
Thoroughbred Club to boost attendance at the summer races. The club
leases the fairgrounds' racetrack.

"The ball is in their court," said Tim Fennell, the fairgrounds'
general manager, referring to music fans. "Don't jeopardize the music
you like by doing something improper."

Experts on the concert scene say snuffing out marijuana smoking,
especially at outdoor venues, might not be a realistic goal.

"If people want to get high, they will get high no matter what the
regulations are," said Kenny Weissberg, a veteran San Diego concert promoter.

Reggae, hip-hop and classic rock groups seem to attract more cannabis
users than a traditional country act such as George Strait, Weissberg said.

Assistant San Diego City Attorney Chris Morris said some people don't
seem to realize they can be fined for possessing marijuana.

"People light up right in front of a police officer - it happens all
the time," Morris said.

In San Diego County, an average of 4,617 people have been arrested or
ticketed for marijuana possession each year since 1996, according to
the state Attorney General's Office.

Statewide over the same period, an average of 46,762 people per year
have faced the same charges. Although the offense is a misdemeanor,
most cases in San Diego are reduced to a "disturbing the peace"
infraction with a fine of $172, Morris said.

In California, the legality of marijuana became clouded by the
passage of Proposition 215 in 1996. The voter-approved law allows
doctors to prescribe marijuana as medicine to patients who are
seriously ill or suffer chronic pain.

Astra Kelly, a musician and disc jockey on FM radio station KPRI,
said pot smoking inside clubs and bars is a rarity.

Outdoor concerts are a different story.

At a recent concert at the Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre in Chula
Vista, hip-hop superstar Snoop Dogg concluded his set by urging
listeners to "smoke some chronic," slang for high-grade marijuana.
"Almost immediately, you could see the plumes of smoke go up," Kelly said.

San Diego songwriter Steve Poltz said he remembers attending an
outdoor concert featuring James Taylor when the mellow superstar
caught a whiff of marijuana smoke.

"Ah, yes," Taylor mused. "The fine scent of herb being carried on the
evening zephyr."

The Special Events Unit of the San Diego Police Department enforces
marijuana laws at concerts held at the municipal Sports Arena, but
usually not in the seating area. Those ticketed for possession of
marijuana typically are caught lighting up in restrooms or hallways,
said the unit's supervisor, Lt. Dan Christman.

"It's not so easily addressed in the seating area where it's dark and
hard to find out who is doing it," Christman said.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse describes marijuana as "the most
commonly used illegal drug in the U.S." A 2007 institute survey shows
nearly one-third of high school seniors had used marijuana at least
once in the previous year.

"They can't search every kid that comes into a venue," said Phil
Hubbs, executive director of Proactive Network Against Substance
Abuse. "Ultimately, it falls back on parental responsibility - what
they allow their kids to do."

Hubbs, who is also a police officer, said security personnel can
provide a "visual deterrent," but once the lights go down, it's
difficult for them to pinpoint a pot smoker.

Concert fan Julia Apple of Encinitas said pot smokers are
better-behaved than people who are drunk.

"When will marijuana stop being the villain for ignorant people to
use as their scapegoat for what's wrong in this world?" Apple said.
"I'd much rather be around a group of people smoking a joint at a
concert than even one person who may have had one too many."

Parents who tried marijuana in their youth may not realize the pot
sold today is far stronger, said Silverman, who works with the
county's Health Advocates Rejecting Marijuana program.

"Marijuana today is a potent drug and has serious health
consequences," she said. "It's not the same pot as in the '60s or '70s."

Silverman said a ban on smoking at the Del Mar Fairgrounds would be a
good first step.

"We want a zero-tolerance policy against smoking of any kind," she said.

At the fairgrounds, smoking is prohibited indoors and in the
racetrack grandstand seating area. Smoking is allowed outdoors,
including food courts, patios and the paddock.

Track spokesman Mac McBride said horse racing seems to attract a
certain kind of smoker.

"I see more cigars here than anywhere else," McBride said.

McBride said he believes race fans would simply shrug and adjust to a
total ban on smoking.

"Would it upset people? Probably, yes," he said. "But would it lead
to them never coming back? I sincerely hope not."

Steve Bloom, 53, a New York writer and author of "Pot Culture: The
A-Z Guide to Stoner Language & Life," said the controversy at the
fairgrounds isn't really about the welfare of children.

"These are just conservative people who don't want other people to
have fun," Bloom said. "They may get some headlines, but they're not
going to win this battle."