Narcotics use on rise
Citing increased narcotic use throughout Mono County since 2013, the Mono County District Attorney’s Office recently applied for, and won, the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant in the amount of $633,558.00 over a three-year period for its “Comprehensive Substance Abuse Program.”
Generally known as the MONET [Mono Narcotics Enforcement Team] grant, this year’s application was highly competitive with more funding at stake and not all California counties were funded,
In order to “take advantage of increased amount… I restructured the entire program to a Mono County substance abuse program and no longer just the MONET program,” D.A. Tim Kendall told the Board.
The program is a multi-agency approach to narcotics and narcotics abuse and includes collaboration with the Superior Court, probation, public health, social services, behavioral health, Mono County Office of Education, Wild Iris, and all law enforcement agencies. The previous MONET program focused more on drug enforcement but Kendall said, “Enforcement is only a small part of addressing the overall narcotics issue in Mono County.” The new program includes a drug court program and transitional service “to give individuals the greatest chance of not only staying sober but of being successful in their lives,” he continued. It also provides for narcotics education and prevention programs.
On the law enforcement side, Kendall said “some of the funding could go towards enforcement targeting those who are either growing or using marijuana illegally” and individuals transporting large amounts of marijuana through Mono County. However, he emphasized his support for medical marijuana laws and individual rights. Kendall’s grant also allows for the redevelopment of a MONET team through the D.A.’s office.
According to court records there has been an 11 percent increase in drug induced deaths since 2013. Also during that period, we’ve seen increases in illegal methamphetamine and martjuana use amoing both adults and juveniles. Driving under the influence of narcotics, not alcohol, has increased 40 percent and thefts involving drugs have increased 14 percent in the same time period. In the grant application, Kendall states that “drug trafficking and drug addiction has been and remains the number one issue [in Mono County] in public safety along with the negative effects that drugs and substance abuse brings to communities and families.”
How much longer are we going to just sit by and watch as our tax dollars are wasted on non-violent offenses such as marijuana!!!! Marijuana is the most useful and healing plant to ever grace this world. Tim Kendall, WTF!! Are you oblivious to the fact that marijuana is being legalized in multiple states and soon will be legalized here in California after the 2016 vote. And their are multiple bills in the works right now that will legalize it on a federal level soon. Yet you believe our resources are best spent on trying to eradicate the growing or transporting of marijuana. Which will overcrowd our prisons even more and cost taxpayers even more, and meanwhile some child rapist or violent person is getting away with a crime while you waste your time arresting some kid for an 1/8th of marijuana. Your views on marijuana are based off of biased reports on the substance that were put out to further the agenda of the hugely failed Drug War. The FACT is that Marijuana is one of, if not THE safest substance on this planet. Safer than alcohol and all those pharmaceuticals sitting in your medicine cabinet. You need to actually sit down and do serious research on marijuana, as in reading research that isn’t biased or funded by our corrupt government, which will undoubtedly prove to you that marijuana is safe and resources shouldn’t be focused on the prohibition of it. Anybody with a brain can read the research and determine how harmless marijuana is, and if you actually do the research and still think marijuana is bad, then you are without a doubt completely ignorant. Do you really want everyone around here thinking you are ignorant??? I sure wouldn’t. But that is what you are showing us. STOP WASTING OUR MONEY ON THE DRUG WAR AND DO SOMETHING THAT MATTERS!!!!