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Denver police need more money to handle seized marijuana

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DENVER (AP) — The Denver Police Department is asking the city for more than $125,000 so it can handle the thousands of pounds of marijuana that comes through its doors each year since the drug was legalized for recreational use.

Lt. Cliff Carney, who manages the department's evidence section, tells The Denver Post (https://goo.gl/T7Nz0C ) that instead of officers finding 15 to 20 plants in someone's basement, they're now finding 1,000 to 1,500 plants in a warehouse and all the equipment that goes with it.

In 2013, the year before Colorado legalized recreational marijuana, police seized a little more than 500 pounds of pot. Next year, the department expects to seize 11,265 pounds.

The $125,116 would pay for two additional staff members at the property bureau.

Carney speculates that once marijuana became legal, people thought they could get away with large grows.

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Information from: The Denver Post, http://www.denverpost.com

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