LIGHT A JOINT IN MISSOULA? GROOVY, SAY SUPPORTERS

Police Question Pro-Marijuana Group's Statistics

Marijuana smokers looking for a safe haven to light up may find their
refuge in Missoula County, according to a recent study by a marijuana
reform lobbying group.

The study from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
exposed the hot spots for marijuana arrests across Montana and the nation,
and suggested that enforcement is less stringent in some places than others.

"For those responsible adults who choose marijuana, they are less likely to
be arrested in Missoula County," said John Masterson, the regional director
of NORML. "If there is a safe county in Montana, Missoula may the one for it."

According to NORML, which has about 300 members in the Missoula area, the
rate of Missoula County's marijuana arrests falls below the national and
state averages. Of all arrests made nationally, 4.65 percent are for
marijuana violations. In Montana, 5.4 percent of all arrests are for
marijuana, and in Missoula County, 3.2 percent of arrests are for
marijuana. Montana is the third lowest in total number of statewide
marijuana arrests.

The study showed significant marijuana arrest variations in Montana, from
county to county. The study tallied marijuana-use arrests from 1995-97,
comparing arrest statistics by state and county throughout the nation.

Subsequent studies will examine how race or gender factors into the
likelihood of being arrested for marijuana use. The study was conducted by
John Gettman, a public policy analyst for NORML, who examined the arrests
compared to county populations.

Large variances in arrest percentages compared to small variances in
overall marijuana use or popularity demonstrates how different law
enforcement officials have varying values and priorities when deciding
which laws to enforce, said Keith Stroup, the Washington, D.C.,-based
executive director of NORML.

Montana marijuana users are 16 times more likely to be arrested in Toole
County than they are in Big Horn County, according to the study

"I think that law enforcement officers - they all recognize that marijuana
is not cocaine," Masterson said. "It's a different phenomenon. It's not the
terrible family value scourge of society."

Toole County appears to be clamping down on smokers, according to the
study, ranking No. 1 in per-capita marijuana arrests in Montana. Missoula
County, on the other hand, ranking at 17, illustrates the differences in
enforcement from county to county.

There were 140 marijuana arrests in Missoula County in 1997, and 129 in
Toole County. Based on population, however, a person is about eight times
more likely to be arrested for a marijuana violation in Toole County than
in Missoula County.

Missoula police Detective Jeff Dobie, who works mainly drug cases, is
skeptical of the findings. He said that NORML officials are pushing an
agenda and that the group's numbers shouldn't necessarily be trusted.
Marijuana use is a big problem in Missoula, and he has "piles of work to
do" because of it, Dobie said.

"You don't know if their statistics are skewed," he said. "Marijuana is
against the law, and until it's legalized, we will fight it with as much
vigor as we can."

The fight against marijuana in Toole County is also vigorous, and even
though the numbers attest to their dedication to drug arrests, law
officials must prioritize what crimes they pursue, said Toole County
Undersheriff Dave Robins. Toole County has no plans to increase its
narcotics task force.

"We don't have the manpower or the money," Robins said. "When it comes to
law enforcement officers that develop information regarding criminal
activity - they will go after the big things that will cause the most hurt
and damage."

Robins said drug violations are one of Toole County's "biggest problems."
But, he thinks other parts of Montana have their share of illegal activity,
too.

"I think Missoula's got a big problem of their own," he said.

Toole County may have been identified as a law enforcement hot spot in the
study because of its proximity to Interstate 15, which brings drug
operations from all over the United States and Canada. A number of Indian
reservations also attract the drug, he said, but the main reason for the
ranking is probably because of the numerous arrests made at the
U.S.-Canadian border crossing at Sweetgrass.

"We're constantly running a drug seizure at the border," Robins said.
"They've smoked a joint or smoked a bowl, and they forgot they've come to
the United States.

Some county officials work with federal officials to stifle drug activity
and are paid overtime by the federal government because the county can't
afford it, Robins said.

In the last two years, Toole County officials snagged smugglers trying to
move 30 pounds of marijuana across the border. Often, they find the drug
crammed into pop cans or hidden in spare tires.

Statewide, authorities continue to grapple with ways to deal with marijuana.

Ravalli County had 41 marijuana arrests in 1997, 6.2 percent of all
arrests. The county historically has been understaffed, which means there
was limited manpower to handle large crime caseloads, said Ravalli County
Sheriff Perry Johnson.

When there are major crimes - like murders that demand much time to
investigate - other crimes may slip through the cracks, he said.

Johnson recently assigned one detective to specialize in narcotics cases,
because other officers don't always have the time needed to pursue the
time-consuming cases. They are also cooperating with state and other county
officials to tackle marijuana and other drug violations.

"We respond to a lot of calls that we would never be there if it wasn't for
those substance abuse problems," said Johnson, who explained that property
crimes and domestic assaults on their own are often "symptoms" of addiction
or substance abuse.

"We see how invasive the drug problems are with families," he said.

The NORML study also compared nationwide arrest rates. A smoker is three
times more likely to be arrested in Alaska and New York, for example, than
if he or she smoked in Pennsylvania, North Dakota or Hawaii.

Missoula law enforcement officials vehemently reject any implication that
they are lagging behind in drug enforcement.

"There is nobody here that is overlooking marijuana arrests in search of
something better - laws are laws," said Mike Wood, a Missoula police detective.