Author: Scott Condon, The Aspen Times
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)

SKI AREA POT PATROL PUTS FOREST SERVICE UNDER SCRUTINY

Agency's Law Enforcement Officers Aren't Regularly Targeting Pot
Smokers On Chairlifts

SNOWMASS VILLAGE - The efforts of two U.S. Forest Service officers to
bust an alleged pot smoker on a Snowmass chairlift recently was an
isolated incident but one that creates image issues for the agency,
the top official in the White River National Forest said Friday.

Forest Supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams said the data shows that the
agency's law enforcement officers aren't regularly targeting pot
smokers on chairlifts. There are three officers for the entire 2.5
million acre White River National Forest. The officers visited the
four ski areas operated by the Aspen Skiing Co. a total of six times
all last season, Fitzwilliams said.

"It's not a major focus of what we do," Fitzwilliams said of pot
smoker patrol. "Clearly we're not all that concerned."

On the other hand, the agency cannot condone a person getting stoned,
then skiing, potentially, at a high rate of speed on crowded slopes,
Fitzwilliams added. Skiers and riders have an obligation under the
Skier Safety Act not to be inhibited by drugs or alcohol.

Even though the data shows officers don't spend a lot of time on the
slopes, an incident in late December has influenced public
perceptions, Fitzwilliams conceded. Two officers in uniform were
skiing at Snowmass while on patrol of an unknown origin. They
suspected a passenger of the Big Burn chairlift was smoking pot. They
questioned and searched the person at the top of the lift, but didn't
issue a citation.

Fitzwilliams, who took over the top post in the White River National
Forest last fall, said he has received a "number" of comments from
residents of the communities around the forest about the officers'
activities, especially citations for marijuana possession.

"I've been asked by several people, 'Don't you have bigger fish to
fry?'" Fitzwilliams said.

His opinion is that the forest needs additional law enforcement
officers to focus on issues such as illegal trespass into Wilderness
lands with motorized vehicles and illegal camping. Convincing the
public of that need in light of the Snowmass incident will be tougher,
he acknowledged.

The Snowmass incident was reported to resortVice President of
Operations Rich Burkley shortly after it happened, according to resort
spokesman Jeff Hanle. Burkley raised concerns at the first opportunity
to Jim Stark, winter sports administrator for the Aspen Ranger
District of the Forest Service. Stark regularly works with the Skico
on review of various projects and issues.

Hanle said the resort wanted to know more about the Forest Service's
intentions on patrolling for pot smokers.

"We just want to make sure anything being done isn't an inconvenience
to our law-abiding guests," he said.

Stark passed the complaint to Fitzwilliams, and he has arranged
meetings to discuss coordination and protocol with the law enforcement
division. Fitzwilliams said the law enforcement branch is autonomous
and not under his supervision.

Fitzwilliams said his staff was unaware that the two officers were
patrolling on Snowmass on the day of the incident.

"That's part of the problem," he said.

He wants better coordination and communication between his staff and
the officers and he wants to discuss the customer service aspects of
the Forest Service's duties. Once those internal meetings are held,
Fitzwilliams intends to meet with resort representatives.

"I called [Skico President and CEO] Mike Kaplan and told him we're going to
look into the concerns they have," Fitzwilliams said.