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Sheriff’s Office recommending the Board approve and authorize the Sheriff to sign the Domestic Cannabis Eradication and Suppression Program grant funding Letter of Agreement 2020-12, with the United States Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration in the amount of $66,500 to provide funding retroactively for the period October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020 to defray costs relating to the eradication and suppression of illicit marijuana.
FUNDING: United States Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
This is an annual agreement that the Sheriff’s Office has participated in since 1997. The funding is for activities related to the cooperation with the DOJ in locating and eradicating illicit cannabis plants, and investigating, arresting and referring cases to the prosecuting authorities. This funding cannot be used for the enforcement, monitoring or administration of any legal cannabis program in El Dorado County.
As in the past years, the DOJ is requiring that none of this funding be used to offset costs associated with law enforcement oversight of legal marijuana activities. The Sheriff’s Office is complying with this requirement and has put procedures in place to separate the illicit marijuana suppression activities of staff from the legal marijuana monitoring activities.
In the past, grant funds have been advanced and monthly reports of expenditures were required to account for the funds. Starting with the grant from Federal FY2019, funds are not advanced and monthly invoices for expenses are submitted for reimbursement to capture actual costs. The Sheriff's Office received this agreement on December 19, 2019 from the DEA.
The Sheriff's Office did not budget Domestic Cannabis Eradication and Suppression Program revenues in the Fiscal Year 2019-20 budget due to the uncertainty of Federal Funding regarding illegal Cannabis in the State of California. In Fiscal Year 2020-21 we will be incl...
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