NARCOTICS TASK FORCE WORKS TO KEEP COUNTY SAFE

Since the passage of Proposition 215, which established a legal
defense for possession and use of marijuana for medical purposes, law
enforcement has faced many challenges dealing with illegal
cultivation and possession of the drug.

Locally, the District Attorney's Office has established suggested
guidelines for medical marijuana which includes possession of up to
six mature plants or up to 75 square feet of vegetative canopy
growing at any given time. That amount must be reasonably related to
the individual's doctor's recommendation. Additionally, the person
should not possess more than two pounds of processed marijuana at any
given time.

Furthermore, the DA has requested when a garden is grown for medical
purposes and exceeds the guidelines or the medical recommendation
that the garden be removed by law enforcement. Our goal is to secure
voluntary compliance, effected by growers staying within the guidelines.

The Nevada County Narcotics Task Force applies these guidelines in
every investigation involving marijuana. Generally speaking, the
majority of our contacts with the public involving medical marijuana
fall within the guidelines and our officers walk away from the
gardens. However, we have a significant number of cases whereby we
conduct extensive investigations that involve "illegal" marijuana
gardens, and in the majority of these investigations, we secure
search warrants signed by a judge. Other investigations may come as
the result of parole/probation searches, which reveal illegal
marijuana growing operations.

During these searches, we find gardens which far and away exceed the
guidelines, many posted with multiple and duplicate recommendations.
It is also common to find other illicit drugs, large numbers of guns,
scales and packaging materials, and large quantities of cash.

Currently, marijuana sells on the open market for $4,000 to $6,000
per pound, with a single plant producing an average of one to two
pounds. If you have 30 plants, that's a potential revenue of $360,000.

However, what we are finding in our investigations are gardens that
exceed hundreds of plants. As is evident, these gardens are for
profit, and the growers attempt to conceal their profits by banking
with a variety of financial institutions, by making cash purchases of
new vehicles and precious coins, giving the profits to others to
hold, and even "burying" the profits.

The Narcotics Task Force's goal is to control the flow of illegal
drugs on the streets of our community, and hopefully out of the reach
of our kids and schools. Their mission is a daunting task, and one
they take seriously. To compound the problem, in many of their
investigations involving marijuana, other illicit drugs, such as
methamphetamine, are found.

The majority of investigations are forwarded to the District Attorney
for prosecution. However, the sentencing practices of state courts
into programs such as "Drug Court" and "Prop 36 Court," have
significantly reduced the punitive results of illegal marijuana
cultivation and sales.

Additionally, we have seen a large number of offenders who avoid jail
time while participating in these programs and involve themselves in
subsequent criminal activity. Therefore, we have begun working
closely with the U.S. Attorney's Office and the DEA in handling the
larger and more serious cases to ensure more appropriate sentencing outcomes.

The reality is, if you're sentenced in federal court on drug charges,
the chances are you will receive substantial prison time, as opposed
to local court, where you might receive a treatment program and no jail time.

Proposition 215 has "muddied the water" in respect to law
enforcement's mission to curtail illegal marijuana activity in
California. We are put in a position wherein state law and federal
law are in opposition, making our job more difficult and litigious.
We appreciate the support of the community as we work to make Nevada
County a safe and enjoyable place to live, work and play.