STUDY: POT USE IN MASS. IS HIGH

A recent study cited Boston as the highest city in the nation, but local
police said yesterday that has not kept pot off MetroWest streets. If
anything, it's easier to get than ever.

Although they rarely make the massive busts seen in larger cities, police
in MetroWest and Milford communities say marijuana is easy to find, and
remains relatively cheap.

"We know marijuana has always been popular, and still remains popular,"
Franklin Police Deputy Chief Steve Semerjian said. "Obviously, there's a
good supply line, because there's no shortage."

In a study released last week, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration found more than 12 percent of Boston
residents aged 12 and older had smoked marijuana in the last month -- the
highest rate in the nation.

The figures seemed hardly surprising to Ashland Police Detective Greg
Fawkes. "It's not hard to get," he said of pot. "We see it constantly.
It's very prevalent. You could say just about everybody knows somebody in
town they could get pot from."

And they probably will not have to shell out much for it. Although younger
kids often buy "dime" bags for $10, larger amounts go for as little as $15
or $20, Fawkes said.

Stopping the trade is a challenge, he said, not only because it's so
diffuse, but also because it's so common.

Despite the department making a major bust over the weekend, involving
four grams of crack cocaine, OxyContin and more than an ounce of
marijuana, Fawkes admitted it is nearly impossible for officers to chase
down every small dealer. "It's just that it's really easy to get your
hands on," he said. "It seems like every kid you grab with a dime bag knows
not one kid they could get it from, they know 10 kids they can get it from.

"The problem is also...two months ago we had another crack and heroin
bust. We've got to prioritize. We can't track down every guy dealing dime
bags of marijuana."

Where is all that pot coming from? Mexico, mostly, said Drug Enforcement
Agency spokesman Anthony Pettigrew. Other sources include Canada, Jamaica
and Colombia. "It's coming in by any traditional way you see other drugs
come in," he said. "They're shipping it through trucking companies. A lot
comes in through the mail." Pettigrew said the drug usually sells for
between $90 and $250 an ounce. High potency designer pot, however, can go
for as much as $400 an ounce. Milford Police Lt. James Falvey, however,
said busts that big are rare. Over a year ago, the department seized more
than a pound of marijuana in a raid, but most recent busts have been smaller.

"A typical example might be a patrol officer making a motor vehicle stop,
making an arrest for another crime and finding a small amount in the car
or on the person," he said.

In Framingham, marijuana has largely been pushed out by other drugs, like
heroin and cocaine.

"(It's) not a huge problem that we see here," Framingham Police spokesman
Lt. Vincent Alfano said. "Generally, the only time we come across
marijuana is involved in an officer making a traffic stop. Our efforts are
primarily concentrated on the heroin and the cocaine."

While some chalk up the popularity of pot in Boston to the thousands of
college students who flock to the city, the same cannot be said about the
campus of Framingham State College.

"I've got to be honest. I don't think there's been... a marked increase,"
Framingham State College Police Lt. Pam Curtis said yesterday. "We
probably average, I would say, one or two calls for marijuana a month, but
that's alleged use, at times."

Part of the success, Curtis chalks up to the college's strict
zero-tolerance policy. Students caught using drugs, including alcohol,
face a five-week expulsion from dormitories and school activities, and may
be required to attend drug counseling sessions. Subsequent offenses can
prompt expulsion from school. "Framingham State really has done a
phenomenal job of not just handing out consequences," Curtis said. "There
is an educational setting behind it."