FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – California Attorney General Rob Bonta announces a new program to target illicit cannabis statewide.
AG Bonta visited Fresno on Tuesday, standing with partners in the endeavor while holding a news conference at Fresno City Hall.
Bonta says the DOJ’s new Cannabis Administrative Prosecutor Program makes the City of Fresno partners with the California Department of Justice to uncover unlicensed, illegal commercial cannabis activities by providing legal support.
“Complex problems require creative and collaborative solutions. This innovative new program allows my office to better support local governments in our collective efforts to tackle illegal cannabis activities, and we are confident that this new cost-effective program will have dramatic and measurable effects.”
-Attorney General Rob Bonta.
Despite the legalization of cannabis in California in 2016 through the voter-approved Adult Use of Marijuana Act, unlicensed cannabis activities remain a significant problem in the state. In fact, illegal operators make up the majority of California cannabis activity.
The city of Fresno, like many communities throughout California, is impacted by the illegal cannabis market — whether it be illegal cultivation, manufacturing, or retail sales.
Bonta signed the agreement on Tuesday, making the City of Fresno the first in the state to participate in the California Department of Justice’s Cannabis Administrative Prosecutor Program (CAPP).
said Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz said the partnership is aimed at assisting the local legitimate cannabis industry and help grow the Fresno’s tax base.
“It is my hope that this, first-of-a-kind joint venture between the Fresno City Attorney’s and the Office of the Attorney General will be a model for other large cities. For far too long, these underground operations have targeted children and minors without fear of retribution. This inventive new approach will seek to put an end to that.”
“ Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz
CAPP will provide vital support to local governments who sign on by increasing the scope of illicit cannabis enforcement; providing resources and education to build enforcement programs; and providing cost-effective evidence collection that could lead to large-scale, statewide prosecution of those involved in illegal cannabis activity.
This cooperative effort between DOJ and local jurisdictions leverages the administrative enforcement powers of cities and counties and will supplement the important criminal and civil enforcement efforts being undertaken by the Department of Cannabis Control and the Governor’s Unified Cannabis Enforcement Task Force, which is led by the Department of Cannabis Control and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Learn more about the about CAPP by visiting http://oag.ca.gov/Capp.
Listen to the reports by KMJ’s Liz Kern.
