Pubdate: Sun, 02 May 2004 Source: Sampson Independent, The (NC) Copyright: 2004, The Sampson Independent Contact: http://www.clintonnc.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1704 Author: Andy Britt Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) 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 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. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom