WHY WON'T POT GO AWAY IN SAMPSON

SAMPSON COUNTY - With all of the local marijuana busts that took place in
April, one might think that there is a serious pot problem in the county
that is getting worse. Through statistics compiled by The Sampson
Independent, no less than one person was arrested per day last month on
charges ranging from simple possession of less than a gram, to a Clinton
resident who was carrying 12 pounds of pre-packaged, ready-to-sell product,
to a cache of plants discovered last Monday near Ivanhoe with a street
value estimated at $212,500. Andy Britt can be reached at 910-592-8137,
ext. 21 or by email at sicrime@intrstar.net. Why won't pot go away in Sampson

(May 2, 2004)

SAMPSON COUNTY - With all of the local marijuana busts that took place in
April, one might think that there is a serious pot problem in the county
that is getting worse.

Through statistics compiled by The Sampson Independent, no less than one
person was arrested per day last month on charges ranging from simple
possession of less than a gram, to a Clinton resident who was carrying 12
pounds of pre-packaged, ready-to-sell product, to a cache of plants
discovered last Monday near Ivanhoe with a street value estimated at $212,500.

"It's widespread; it's everywhere," said Lieutenant Keith Jennette of the
Clinton Police Department. "That's obvious with what they've gotten with
the flyovers - what they're growing, and with what they're finding already
bagged up."

But while most area police agree that it was a busy month for arrests, many
also believe Sampson County is no more inundated with the illegal drug than
any other in the county is. And, last month's tally of arrests was simply a
routine surge in police involvement, not a sign of increased activity. Nor
do they believe will it significantly slow down the number of growers,
dealers and users in the area.

"I can't say that marijuana is any worse than it has been for the last
couple of years," said Roseboro police chief David Underwood.
"Periodically, they find plants. Sometimes they get big yields and
sometimes they get small yields, whenever they do a lot of work."

"It's a problem everywhere; we're no different," Jennette said.

There are many reasons why marijuana is so prevalent in society today. For
one, it's relatively inexpensive as compared to other illegal drugs. One
dose, depending on the potency of the pot, can be obtained for just a few
dollars. A month's worth, even for the chronic user, can be bought for
between $100-$200.

Secondly, most users don't believe marijuana to be any more dangerous than
cigarettes, alcohol or even coffee; much less the harder street drugs that
are available on local streets.

"That is a big misconception," Jennette said. "They don't think it's
harmful to their health."

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana abuse is
associated with many detrimental health effects. These effects can include
frequent respiratory infections, impaired memory and learning, increased
heart rate, anxiety, panic attacks and tolerance. Marijuana meets the
criteria for an addictive drug and animal studies suggest marijuana causes
physical dependence and some people report withdrawal symptoms.

Someone who smokes marijuana regularly may have many of the same
respiratory problems that tobacco smokers do, such as daily cough and
phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illnesses, a heightened risk
of lung infections, and a greater tendency toward obstructed airways.
Cancer of the respiratory tract and lungs may also be promoted by marijuana
smoke. Marijuana has the potential to promote cancer of the lungs and other
parts of the respiratory tract because marijuana smoke contains 50 percent
to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke.

Marijuana's damage to short-term memory seems to occur because THC alters
the way in which information is processed by the hippocampus, a brain area
responsible for memory formation. In one study, researchers compared
marijuana smoking and nonsmoking 12th-graders' scores on standardized tests
of verbal and mathematical skills. Although all of the students had scored
equally well in 4th grade, those who were heavy marijuana smokers, i.e.,
those who used marijuana seven or more times per week, scored significantly
lower in 12th grade than nonsmokers. Another study of 129 college students
found that among heavy users of marijuana critical skills related to
attention, memory, and learning were significantly impaired, even after
they had not used the drug for at least 24 hours.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, to get into serious legal trouble,
one has to be carrying an incredibly large amount of the product and even
then the courts tend to be much more merciful when sentencing those convicted.

"Their lenient when it comes to fines and punitive damages, than they are
when it comes to cocaine, heroin, meth or drugs like that," Jennette said.

For the police, arresting a known dealer and then seeing him or her right
back on the street the next day can be extremely frustrating.

Underwood takes the issue a step farther, which can be humiliating to the
arresting officer.

"We risk our lives to get a guy off the street and then he's right back
out," Underwood said. "There have been stops where the offender had a
weapon and the officer was in danger. Out of this stop, the guy gets out;
and you have to give him his money back. The guy gets busted and you go to
court. If you get money from him, before you know it, you get a notice from
the court saying you have to give the money back. Here's a guy that's got a
couple of thousand dollars in his pocket, he doesn't have a job and we know
he sells drugs."

So if the judicial system is not going to stand behind local law
enforcement in the fight against marijuana, why not just legalize it?

Public attitudes about the use of marijuana have undergone a substantial
shift, to the point where personal use of the drug in small quantities is
seen as relatively harmless, and certainly not a criminal act requiring the
full force of the justice system.

While proponents of legalization believe police forces are justifiably
concerned about some of the negative effects of the marijuana trade, they
don't believe the crime deserves subjection to the full brunt of criminal
prosecution - especially not the simple possession of a few grams.

Many marijuana decriminalization advocates have pointed out that fewer
dollars spent on cases of simple possession should mean more money to
pursue the real criminals, and would also mean fewer young adults being
introduced to the criminal justice system at a relatively innocent age.

But law enforcement personnel do not believe that legalization would make
their jobs any easier. While the decriminalization of pot would eliminate
many charges, the use would become even extensive which would ultimately
cause more criminal activity.

"Most people go from cigarettes to marijuana to other drugs," Jennette said.

Yet, despite its dangers and all its downside, it doesn't seem that pot
will go away. Therefore a policy of containment will likely continue as the
best method to keep it under control.