Jackson County gets state grant to fight black market pot

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) – The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office will use state grant money to go after black market marijuana producers and legal growers who harvest more than their license allows.

The Mail Tribune reported Friday that the nearly $600,000 grant will pay for three detectives, one crime analyst and a part-time prosecutor.

That’s in addition to another federal grant of $250,000 that pays for two additional deputies tasked with pot enforcement.

Jackson County is in a prime climate for outdoor marijuana cultivation and struggles with illicit grows.

State lawmakers created the grant program this year to help pot-friendly parts of the state address those problems.

The money gives rural counties the resources to investigate black market activity and to show the federal government the state is serious about dealing with illegal grows.

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Information from: Mail Tribune, http://www.mailtribune.com/