SAFFORD — While arrests and prosecutions for marijuana possession have gone away, due to voters approving decriminalization of recreational marijuana use, that doesn’t mean other drug crimes have gone away.
Graham County Sheriff’s Office and County Attorney’s Office recently received grants to combat drug use, as well as violent crimes and gang activity.
The County Attorney’s Office is receiving about $67,000 to help fund the salary of the prosecutor who handles drug cases.
“For all intents and purposes, since the passage of (Prop) 207, we’ve discontinued simple possession prosecutions of marijuana crimes,” said County Attorney L. Scott Bennett. “That being said, with the incredible influx in fentanyl that we’ve been experiencing in our community, our prosecution numbers, despite the fact we’re no longer prosecuting marijuana cases, has increased.
“Until we can plug the border and stop this fentanyl from coming in, I think we’re going to have ample drug crimes to prosecute.”
The Sheriff’s Office is receiving about $27,000.
“We get that money to help us with our serious crimes and to pay for overtime, not only for us but that can go along with our other members, like Safford, Thatcher and DPS can get a bit of it,” Sheriff PJ Allred said.
During Monday’s meeting, the Graham County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to accept the grants from the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission.
