A Peace officer wants to forfeit a quantity of marajuana for use by the office to train their dog and use as 'bait' for confidential informant buy busts. (several pounds)

Judge says: Show me the legal authority for forfeiture of contraband.

Umm. Can we do this? If so, what's the authority? What are some of the concerns? Who's done this before? I'm smelling a land mine here and I'm getting twitchy.

The director of the Department of Public Safety may authorize the possession, distribution, planting, and cultivation of controlled substances by a person engaged in research, training animals to detect controlled substances, or designing or calibrating devices to detect controlled substances.

But, if the evidence is seized intially in District Court as evidence, does that court need to dispose of it prior to requesting authorization from the director of DPS?

Sent.