STRATEGIC PRIORITY: Public Safety
AGENDA DATE: March 27, 2024
COUNCIL DISTRICT(S): N/A
DEPARTMENT: Police Department
EXECUTIVE: Jon Fortune
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SUBJECT
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Authorize a three-year cooperative purchasing agreement for THC Quantification and controlled substance quantitation analysis for the Police Department with Armstrong Forensic Laboratory, Inc. through a cooperative purchasing agreement between the City and Tarrant County through the Interlocal Cooperation Act, Chapter 791, Texas Government Code - Not to exceed $750,750.00 - Financing: General Fund (subject to annual appropriations)
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BACKGROUND
This action does not encumber funds; the purpose of a cooperative purchasing agreement is to establish firm pricing for services, for a specific term, which are ordered on an as needed basis.
On December 20, 2018, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 legalized the industrial production of hemp nationwide while simultaneously removing hemp from the Controlled Substances Act.
Under the Texas House Bill (HB-1325), marijuana and tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC (excluding the limited THC in hemp), remain illegal substances. THC is the chemical component that induces the "high" effect. What changed under Texas law, similar to the federal legislation, is that "hemp" is now excluded from the definition of "controlled substance" and "marijuana. Hemp and marijuana both come from the cannabis plant. Different parts of the plant have different THC concentrations and various factors may impact whether a particular plant sample exceeds the statutory THC limit of 0.3%.
Law enforcement agencies routinely submit suspected illegal substances to accredited crime laboratories for analysis. The laboratories test the substance and issue a report to assist law enforcement and prosecutors with decision-making in a case. Before HB-1325 was enacted, laboratories reported a positive result if cannabinoids were pres...
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