ARRESTS FOR MARIJUANA SKYROCKET IN WISCONSIN

Beer and brandy are doubtless Wisconsin's legal drugs of choice.

But of the illegal drugs, Wisconsin has a particular fondness for marijuana.

It's the most available and most abused drug in the state, according to the
U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

In the past 10 years, Wisconsin's marijuana smokers have taken a big hit due
to police crackdowns.

Marijuana dominated drug possession and sales arrests in Wisconsin in 2000.
It accounted for almost 80 percent of Wisconsin's drug possession arrests
and about half of the state's drug sales arrests, according to the Office of
National Drug Control Policy.

Moreover, since 1992, marijuana-related arrests in the state have
skyrocketed. Adult arrests for the sale of the drug have climbed about 33
percent and juvenile sales arrests have jumped about 176 percent through
2001.

Possession arrests in the same time period statewide went up about 133
percent for adults and a whopping 510 percent for juveniles.

Madison and Dane County records show even bigger percentage jumps.

Arrests for juvenile possession in the city of Madison jumped 273-fold from
1992 to 2001 and the number of youths arrested for selling pot more than
doubled.

In the same time period, 26 percent more adults were arrested for selling
weed in Madison, while more than twice the number were arrested for
possessing it.