(a) The Director of the Bureau, in addition to other powers and duties vested in the Director may do the following:
(1) Cooperate with federal and other local agencies in discharging his responsibilities concerning traffic in narcotics and dangerous substances and in suppressing the abuse of dangerous substances;
(2) Arrange for the exchange of information between governmental officials concerning the use and abuse of dangerous substances;
(3) Coordinate and cooperate in the training programs for law enforcement personnel at district and territorial levels regarding dangerous controlled substances;
(4) Establish a centralized unit within the Bureau which accepts, catalogs, files and collects statistics, including records of drug-dependent persons and other dangerous substance law offenders within the territory, makes such information available for federal, state and local law enforcement purposes and collects and furnishes such statistics for other appropriate purposes; and
(5) Coordinate and cooperate in programs of eradication aimed at destroying wild or illicit growth of plant species from which controlled dangerous substances may be extracted.
(b) Results, information and evidence received from the Virgin Islands Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control relating to the regulatory functions of this chapter, including results of inspections conducted by the Bureau at agency, may be relied upon and acted upon by the Director in conformance with his regulatory functions under this chapter.
(c) The Director shall:
(1) Coordinate and cooperate in educational programs designed to prevent and deter misuse and abuse of controlled dangerous substances;
(2) Promote better recognition of the problems of misuse and abuse of controlled dangerous substances within the regulated industry and among interested groups and organizations;
(3) Assist the regulated industry, interested groups and organizations in contributing to the reduction of misuse and abuse of controlled dangerous substances;
(4) Assist in evaluating procedures, projects, techniques and controls conducted or proposed as part of educational programs on the misuse and abuse of controlled dangerous substances;
(5) Disseminate the results of research on the misuse and abuse of controlled dangerous substances to promote a better public understanding of what problems exist and what can be done to combat them;
(6) Assist in the education and training of local law enforcement officials in their efforts to control the misuse and abuse of controlled dangerous substances;
(7) Conduct an annual seminar attended by selected law enforcement officers in order to teach new techniques and advances in the investigation of violations of the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Act;
(8) Encourage research on misuse and abuse of controlled dangerous substances;
(9) Cooperate in establishing methods to assess accurately the effects of controlled dangerous substances and to identify and characterize controlled dangerous substances with potential for abuse;
(10) Cooperate in making studies and in undertaking programs of research to:
(A) develop new or improved approaches, techniques, systems, equipment and devices to strengthen the enforcement of this chapter,
(B) determine patterns of misuse and abuse of controlled dangerous substances and the social effects thereof, and
(C) improve methods for preventing, predicting, understanding and dealing with the misuse and abuse of controlled dangerous substances.
(c) The Director may enter into contracts with public agencies, institutions of higher education and private organizations or individuals for the purpose of conducting research, demonstrations or special projects which bear directly on the misuse and abuse of controlled dangerous substances.
(d) The Director may authorize persons engaged in research or scientific activities on the use and effects of dangerous substances to withhold the names and other identifying characteristics of persons who are the subjects of such research. Persons who obtain this authorization may not be compelled in any state civil, criminal, administrative and legislative or other proceeding to identify the subjects of research for which such authorization was obtained.
(e) The Director may authorize the lawful possession, distribution and use of controlled dangerous substances by persons engaged in research or scientific activities; authorization for possession of controlled dangerous substances may be extended to persons engaged in a program of drug education or persons in the performance of an official duty. Persons who obtain this authorization shall be exempt from prosecution for possession, distribution or use of dangerous substances to the extent authorized by the Director.