DENT MADE IN BUMPER CROP OF POT

The city police drug unit seized nearly double the street value worth of
marijuana in 2001 over the previous year.

Last year, the drug unit confiscated about $9.3 million worth of marijuana,
compared to cannabis valued at $5 million seized by the unit in 2000.

That amounts to the lion's share of all cannabis seized by city police in
2001, said Staff Sgt. Roger Chaffin of the drug unit.

"That's a good year -- it's a fairly aggressive round of search and
seizure," said Chaffin.

What the impressive enforcement numbers indicate is marijuana remains a
bumper crop locally, and one that's not likely to be crippled any time soon
by police activity, acknowledged Chaffin.

"What we're seeing is growing marijuana has become quite an industry," he said.

"Our enforcement strategy has been effective but ... we're not being
unrealistic in saying we're winning the war on drugs."

He said the official sanctioning of medical marijuana has yet to complicate
the unit's war against pot.

"I don't recall dealing with anyone claiming their marijuana was
medicinal," said Chaffin.

Police also expect to devote considerable energy in 2002 in cracking down
on so-called club or designer drugs such as ecstacy, GHB and an old standby
- -- LSD.