TMCnet News
Debunking the marijuana myth(Post-Bulletin (Rochester, MN) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Apr. 8--You must be a subscriber to comment on this story. If you are a subscriber, you need to login. For information on subscribing to PB Online click here. To say marijuana is not dangerous is a myth, according to local narcotics experts. "Violent crime, fatal traffic crashes and related crime sprees are all associated with marijuana use and sales," said Jason Christensen, who heads the Southeast Narcotics Task Force. And, he said, today's marijuana is 30 times more potent than what was seen years ago. "We grow better corn and vegetables," Christensen said. "And that technology has spilled over to drugs, too." While the meth crisis has dominated headlines, officers are seeing a lot more marijuana also, said Sgt. Dan Pulford, who has headed the Rochester police narcotics division for years. "It's a big problem," he said. His concern is that much of that marijuana is ending up in high schools and high school students. Crime rate affected Pulford echoes Christensen's concerns that marijuana is much stronger today. And the kids using it move on to meth, cocaine, Ecstasy and other drugs. And they commit crimes to support their drug habits. The two narcotics experts say that through the years, marijuana has been linked to local burglaries, robberies, assaults, kidnappings and even a homicide. Shelley McBride, supervisor of juvenile corrections in Olmsted County, said that of 253 juveniles on full probation, 110 are known to be pot smokers. And, she said, 55 of the 110 are "extremely dependent" and in need of chemical dependency treatment. Over the borders The marijuana being seen locally is coming either from Canada or Mexico. The BC bud coming from Canada is a hydroponic pot that Pulford compares to the corn in Minnesota and Iowa -- hybrid. And there have been significant cases involving people transporting marijuana up from Mexico. Just recently, a Rochester man, Perry Christensen, was sentenced in federal court for being in possession of about 200 pounds of marijuana brought to Rochester from the south. "You can make a ton of money" dealing drugs, Pulford said. "There are people being paid $5,000 to $7,000 to go mule this stuff. It is nothing to pay $10,000 to bring up weed that will make $200,000 selling," he said. Pulford said someone bringing in 300 pounds of pot might sell it to 10 to 12 people who break it down to smaller bags for sale at $10 to $20 a bag. Pulford said a dealer might buy $900 worth of marijuana, break it down and turn that investment into $3,000 to $4,000. He tells of one Rochester teenager who got 2 pounds of BC bud in Minneapolis to bring to Rochester to sell. He sold one of the pounds but smoked the other. "For 45 days, he didn't know who he was. He was high every day. Then he came to us because he was in debt for $8,000 because he smoked the pot instead of selling it and didn't have the money to pay for it," Pulford said. He was 17 at the time. "I would say the majority of marijuana coming into Rochester is ending up in our kids. We are a very affluent town. Kids have money," Pulford said. An overlooked problem Christensen agrees that the problem of marijuana is overlooked. Unfortunately, Minnesota drug laws don't adequately punish the marijuana user, trafficker or grower, Pulford and Christensen said. To be charged with a felony first-degree drug offense, a person needs to be convicted of being in possession of 100 kilograms or of selling 50 kilograms of marijuana. But a person could be charged with a first-degree offense for selling 10 grams of cocaine, heroin or meth or of being in possession of 25 grams of those drugs. And a person could be convicted of a first-degree drug offense for making any amount of meth or even for possessing any of the substances used to make meth with the intent of making the drug. Pulford said drug dealers know the laws, too. He said he sees many local people who switch from selling cocaine to pot because they know they won't go to prison if caught. And, he said, high school kids talk about the "power" they get from selling pot. "There is a lot of power and prestige when they start dealing. Now they can afford cars and clothes. People come to them for the drug. That empowers the drug dealer," Pulford said. "The kids can see that power; see that dealer as someone of importance. They don't see any negatives coming out of it, and when they come to court, there is no consequence. "No judge is going to send you to prison for selling weed. That is what I hear from the dopers." Pulford said he is not saying pot dealers need to go to prison. But he would like to see consequences for the big dealer, the person bringing in 10 pounds of marijuana. At least give them a $30,000 fine, Pulford said. Property forfeitures Christensen said authorities can seek forfeiture of property seized during the execution of criminal search warrants. And, he said, the task force is seizing every asset it can "to hit them where it hurts, in their wallets, their homes and their bank accounts." He said that during a recent drug raid, the task force seized a checking account with more than $40,000 in it from a self-employed handyman. He said the lifestyle of the pot trafficker or grower is a big tip-off. They might be making some money legitimately but not enough to support their lavish lifestyles. He said that in one current case, narcotics agents seized more than $100,000 in assets. That included a 72-inch television screen and 50 pieces of artwork. All were purchased with cash. They also found a stack of receipts the suspect kept. "We have a beautiful case against him," Christensen said. Last year in Minnesota, 206 law enforcement agencies reported 4,272 incidents of property being seized subject to forfeiture. Gross sales of forfeited property totaled $3,709.487, according to the state auditor. Drug activity accounted for nearly 75 percent of the forfeiture incidents last year, the auditor said. Under state law, 70 percent of the proceeds from forfeited property goes back to the appropriate law enforcement agency, 20 percent goes to the prosecuting agency and 10 percent to the state Department of Finance. The Southeast Narcotics Task Force had net proceeds of $47,922 from seized property in 2005. |