52:17B-246 Program to monitor drug activity involving fentanyl.
1. a. The Attorney General shall maintain a program to monitor drug activity in this State and surrounding regions. The program shall provide for multi-jurisdictional sharing of drug incident information among law enforcement agencies. Information related to drug seizures, overdoses, criminal behavior, and health care-related services shall be collected and analyzed for the purpose of:
(1) assisting in facilitating the development of enhanced policies and practices to prevent drug abuse and misuse; and
(2) mitigating the harm drugs inflict on communities.
The program shall monitor and analyze trends related to the presence and content of fentanyl in illegal substances seized by law enforcement throughout the State. In order to identify these trends, the Attorney General shall require controlled dangerous substances seized by law enforcement officers in the State to be tested for the presence of fentanyl in accordance with protocols established by the Division of State Police.
b. The seized substances shall be tested in accordance with protocols established by the Division of State Police to determine whether fentanyl or other potentially lethal substances are present in the substance and, if so, any available information related to the presence and content of fentanyl in the substance shall be reported to the Attorney General in a timely manner.
c. The testing shall be performed using forensic laboratory analysis techniques the Division of State Police determines to be appropriate to evaluate whether a substance contains fentanyl.
d. The information received pursuant to subsection b. of this section shall be compiled into a database that is accessible by all law enforcement agencies throughout the State. The information shall be continuously updated to reflect the most current information available concerning the presence of fentanyl in illegal substances in the State.
L.2019, c.504, s.1.