64-year old Elina Martinez of Miami has been named as the woman arrested after two K9 dogs found nine pounds of pills containing fentanyl in her rental car.

U.S. Attorney Trini Ross said Martinez has been charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute, and distribute, 400 grams or more of fentanyl. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, and a maximum of life in prison.

The seized blue pills have an approximate value of $1.3 million and are a counterfeit replica of the authentic M30 Oxycodone tablet.

Due to the rash of fatalities attributed to fentanyl overdoses, the Drug Enforcement Administration has issued a “counterfeit pills fact sheet” attempting to warn the community regarding the dangers of using/abusing these counterfeit drugs.

An investigation in the area led to the traffic stop with Jamestown Police K-9 Kal and Chautauqua County Sheriff’s K-9 Drake discovering the drugs in the search. Police say the total street value of the 50-to-60,000 pills found is estimated at more than $500,000.

A woman was arrested and taken into custody. She will be charged in federal court by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The investigation is on-going.

PROMESA, Inc.

The funding is part of $10.25 million from the federal State Opioid Response Grant to bolster harm reduction services for marginalized and high-risk populations throughout New York. It is being administered jointly by the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene and New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports.

All mobile units will offer admission assessments and medication induction, medication administration and observation, toxicology tests, and other medical services. The development of mobile medication units was made possible by a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration rule change, allowing them to be operated by existing treatment providers.

The Rohrabacher-Blumenauer Amendment, which prevents the Department of Justice from using federal funds to prosecute legal cannabis users and business owners, is set to expire on January 19 unless congress can finalize another stop-gap funding bill or approve a final spending plan for the current fiscal year. But an effort is underway at the Department of Justice to encourage lawmakers to not include the amendment in the final 2018 omnibus spending package, giving Sessions and his attorneys the power and resources to federally prosecute cannabis business owners and consumers operating under state law.

It’s up to Congress to renew the amendment or take things even further by ending cannabis prohibition once and for all.

Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)

Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning, NY 23), Chautauqua County’s representative in Washington, says he does support using marijuana/cannabis for medicinal purposes, but is also reluctant to support a push to end prohibition altogether, or even remove it from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s list of Schedule 1 drugs.

A schedule 1 drug is considered any drug that has a high potential for abuse and also has no accepted medical treatment use.  Marijuana has been on the DEA’s schedule 1 list since the list was first created in the early 1970s, putting it in the same category as heroin and cocaine.

More than two dozen states have legalized marijuana for medicinal use, while a handful of states have also legalized it for recreational use. Advocates of marijuana legalization also argue that by fully legalizing or even simply reclassifying marijuana, millions of Americans who are currently prevented from using medical marijuana would be able to benefit from its therapeutic value.

Earlier this week during a conference call with regional media, Reed told WRFA that while he does support the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, he doesn’t currently support legalizing it for recreational use.

“I have supported medicinal use of marijuana and prescriptions to alleviate medical conditions that are out there, but as we go down the path of legalizing recreational marijuana, so it is similar to alcohol, I think we should defer to individual states,” Reed said.

Reed also said there are a number of factors to consider when legalizing marijuana for recreational use, and it’s something that needs to be tracked over the long-term before federal officials will likely fully legalize the drug.

“We need to see how this develops, Reed said, who then outlined a number of concerns. “Addiction is going to be identified as a result of recreational marijuana use, that is a real issue. The issue of driving while under the influence of marijuana, I think, is one that is going through the laboratories of the states. And you’ve got to look at the issue of workplace use of marijuana and the risks that recreational marijuana poses to our workplace safety.”

While states like Colorado and California continue to monitor the long-term impact of legalizing marijuana for recreational use, advocates for full legalization across the country hope that speaking to the economic upside will be enough to persuade some lawmakers to through their support behind it, or at least fight the Justice Department’s efforts to be able to fully enforce federal drug laws.   Advocates say legalization could save billions of dollars by reducing government spending on enforcement and incarceration. Additionally, billions in annual tax revenues could be generated through proposed taxation and regulation.

Several lawmakers in Washington have called for removing cannabis from the list of schedule 1 drugs, as well as fully legalizing it over the years, but so far none of those bills has gained enough support for passage in either house, let alone to be signed by the President.

Even with the potential for a regional economic boost, Reed admits that federal marijuana legalization isn’t something he’s keeping a close eye on as a representative of the economically depressed New York’s Southern Tier.

“I’m not aware of any hard proposals along those lines,” Reed told WRFA. “I know there’s been recent pushes across different members offices to address the issue of marijuana policy, and I think there’s some in there, but I don’t have them off the top of my head.”

As part of the DEA’s Nationwide Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office and DEA officials will collect potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs for destruction Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the following locations:

• Chautauqua Mall parking lot in front of JC Penney;
• Alstar Ambulance at 738 Monroe St. in Dunkirk;
• Southside Pharmacy at 766 Foote Ave. in Jamestown.
• Westfield Family Physicians at 138 E. Main St. in Westfield.

According to a media release from the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s office, the service is free and anonymous.

A map showing the counties in the federally designated High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas for the year 2013. Chautauqua County, NY was added to the list in September 2014.

WASHINGTON – The recent increase in heroin use and other drug trafficking in the area has resulted in the federal government designating Chautauqua County as High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA).

According to Sen. Charles schumer, the designation will allow local law enforcement to receive federal funding to further the coordination and development of drug control efforts. It also will allow local agencies to benefit from ongoing HIDTA coordinated initiatives working to reduce drug use and its criminal and health consequences.

Chautauqua County would be included within the New York / New Jersey area, which also currently includes the Buffalo region, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany and New York City, among other counties in the northern part of the state.

At the local level, the HIDTAs are directed and guided by Executive Boards composed of an equal number of regional Federal and non-Federal law enforcement leaders. Both the Chautauqua County Sheriff and the police chiefs of the local police departments in the county would serve on the board.

There are currently 28 HIDTAs throughout the country with more an estimated 16 percent of all counties in the United States being part of the areas. According to the HIDTA website, 60 percent of the U.S. population is located within HIDTA.

More information about the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas programs – including a map of all counties that are currently in the program – can be found online at www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/high-intensity-drug-trafficking-areas-program.

The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and it provides an opportunity for people to safely dispose of unwanted, unused, or expired prescription drugs at local community drop-off sites.

The following drop-off sites will be available in Chautauqua County:

• ALSTAR Headquarters North, 738 Monroe St. in Dunkirk.
  Hosted by the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office.

• Chautauqua Mall, 318 East Fairmount Ave. in Lakewood.
  Hosted by the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office.

• Southside Pharmacy, 766 Foote Ave. in Jamestown.
  Hosted by the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office.

• Westfield Family Physicians, 138 E. Main St. in Westfield.
  Hosted by the Village of Westfield Police Department.

Sheriff Joseph Gerace said, “The abuse, misuse, theft, and unlawful sale of prescription medications are growing concerns in Chautauqua County. We continue to partner with other law enforcement agencies as part of a tremendous enforcement effort to keep these medications from getting into the wrong hands. Our participation in the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is one way to allow the public to safely and anonymously dispose of these medications to help stem the abuse of prescription drugs.”

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue.  Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.  Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.

“While prescription drugs and other medications, including over-the-counter medicine, can be beneficial when taken properly, they also pose potential health risks including misuse and abuse as well as water hazards related to improper disposal,” said Christine Schuyler, Director of Health and Human Services. “It is vitally important that medicine is properly stored and disposed of and kept out of sight and reach of children at all times – young people are especially at risk for accidental poisoning and overdose as well as misuse that often leads to addiction.”

Residents who are unable to get to one of the community sites on September 27, can also utilize the drug drop box in the lobby of the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office, 15 East Chautauqua St. in Mayville. The drug drop off box is available 24 hours a day for anonymous drops at no cost.

The Department of Health and Human Services Division of Environmental Health also offers the following steps for disposing drugs safely:

• Crush or dissolve pills in water, coffee, or another liquid.

• Make a paste of the dissolved pills or liquid medication by adding it to kitty litter or coffee grounds.

• Put the paste in a closed container or sealable bag.

• Put the closed container in the trash.

• To protect your privacy, before throwing out a medicine container, scratch out all identifying information on the prescription label to make it unreadable.

National Drug Take Back Day is sponsored by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). At the last Drug Take Back Day held in April, 780,158 pounds of pills were brought to the 6,072 collection sites across the nation that the DEA and its 4,423 state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners set up.

For more information, visit www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov  or call the Sheriff’s Office at (716) 753-4900 or the Department of Health and Human Services at 1-866-604-6789.