WORCESTER'S TROUBLES COUNTY RANKS HIGH IN POT USE

SNOW HILL - Worcester County ranks in the nation's top 10 for
marijuana arrests in small counties, according to study released
Wednesday by the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws.

More then 2,267 people were busted for possession from 1996 to 1997,
placing Worcester at No. 10 on the list for U.S. counties with less
100,000 residents, according to the study. Worcester also was the
only small East Coast county in the top 10.

Though police and reformers typically disagree on decriminalizing
marijuana, both sides agree that Ocean City and its roughly 8 million
annual visitors helped put Worcester on the list.

With all the traffic that goes through Worcester Counts like most
beach and resort areas, they tend to have a high arrest rates, said
Allen St. Pierre, executive director for NORML.

St. Pierre also said Route 113, which cuts through Worcester, now is a
major north-south route for drug couriers.

Chief David Massey of the Ocean City Police Department said one
problem is the resort is just a few hours away from such drug hubs as
Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington. He also said marijuana is the
preferred drug in the county.

"We have a lot of people who violate the laws," he said. "The summer
brings in a lot of people from all around".

Still, area police were surprised to learn about the findings, saying
they make numerous arrest for small amounts of marijuana but few large
seizures.

"It kind of surprised me. We have not seen any significant large
quantities so far this year," said Sgt. Tom Davis of the Maryland
State Police and Worcester County Bureau of investigation's narcotics
task force.

However, neither agreed on much beyond problems in Ocean City and
along Route 113.

St. Pierre said Worcester's numbers show police prefer arresting pot
smokers instead of pursuing hard-drug users.

"It is a very bad thing," he said. "It demonstrates that there's been
a change in values nationwide."

Said Massey: "We don't pick and choose which drugs we go after...."We're not
selective. We're going to continue to do what we've been doing. We don't
seek to be on anybody's list for this, but is we're doing what we should be
doing... we aren't ashamed."