SEATTLE - The classified-advertising Web site craigslist has become popular in recent years with young, tech-savvy city dwellers seeking apartments, jobs and for-sale items.

Local and federal law enforcement officials said they're aware that dealers like Eric are turning to craigslist and other Web sites to sell pot, but the amounts sold are generally so small that they're not concerned.

Eric, who spoke on the condition that his last name not be used, says he doesn't make much of a profit - if any - but sells enough marijuana that he can smoke for free. He sells small amounts - usually an eighth of an ounce, which brings in $30 to $40. Most clients are friends or friends of friends, Eric said.

Eric scans craigslist for ads placed by people who are seeking pot. More often than not, he'll find someone posting an ad looking for marijuana using code names like "Mary Jane," "MJ," "the sticky icky," "the chronic" and "420."

Recently, however, Eric posted an ad on craigslist indicating he was willing to trade marijuana for sexual favors from women or money from men. Men who offered up a woman for sex would get a discount.

"It's not prostitution," he said, noting he had completed a few transactions in response to the ad. "It's like a date, just weed instead of dinner."

Eric isn't alone in his sex-for-drugs cyber-trade. Recent ads posted on craigslist included an Everett man who wanted to "smoke some 420 and hook up with a cute guy" and a man in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood who offered women a place to smoke pot but warned: "I might try to kiss you or touch you."

Jeff Eig, spokesman for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's Seattle office, said the amounts of illicit drugs sold via online transactions are generally so small that his agency hasn't specifically gone after craigslist users dealing dope.

Instead, he said, the DEA has chosen to focus on online pharmacies that sell drugs such as OxyContin, morphine and Ritalin - all legal but restricted prescription drugs - to people without prescriptions at a high profit margin.

Susan Best, spokeswoman for San Francisco-based craigslist, said the company prohibits drug peddling and similar crimes on its site and cooperates with law enforcement when asked.

"We don't want illegal activity on our site," she said. This text is invisible on the page, but this text is affected by the invisible item's flow. This text is invisible on the page, but this text is affected by the invisible item's flow. More headlines...

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