Wyoming anti-pot effort results in 389 stops, 1 pound seized

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - Police in a Wyoming city made almost 400 traffic stops over 14 hours in a federally funded effort to crack down on marijuana.

The operation March 29-30 in Casper deployed 30 officers each day to the city's main roads and entry points, resulting in 389 stops for suspected traffic violations.

"Essentially any car that they saw that had a traffic infraction take place, they pulled over," Casper Police Department spokeswoman Rebekah Ladd said.

Police gave motorists 269 warnings and 115 tickets. The tickets included 80 for speeding, 26 for other driving violations and nine for seat belt or child restraint violations, the Casper Star-Tribune reported.

Officers also made 23 arrests, including 13 for drugs, according to police.

Police seized 1 pound of marijuana from one vehicle and 2.4 ounces of marijuana from other vehicles stopped.

Police also seized 2.4 ounces of methamphetamine and 1 gram of cocaine.

It was the police department's first operation funded through the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program since the coronavirus pandemic paused it in 2020.

Fifteen states have legalized recreational marijuana and 21 others have legalized medical marijuana only. Wyoming has done neither but has legalized cannabidiol, or CBD, since 2019.