Section 961.54. Cooperative arrangements and confidentiality.

  The department of justice shall cooperate with federal, state and local agencies in discharging its responsibilities concerning traffic in controlled substances and in suppressing the abuse of controlled substances. To this end, it may:

(1)  Arrange for the exchange of information among governmental officials concerning the use and abuse of controlled substances;

(2)  Coordinate and cooperate in training programs concerning controlled substance law enforcement at local and state levels;

(3)  Cooperate with the bureau by establishing a centralized unit to accept, catalog, file and collect statistics, including records of drug dependent persons and other controlled substance law offenders within the state, and make the information available for federal, state and local law enforcement purposes. It shall not furnish the name or identity of a patient or research subject whose identity could not be obtained under s. 961.335 (7) ; and

(4)  Conduct programs of eradication aimed at destroying wild or illicit growth of plant species from which controlled substances may be extracted.

1971 c. 219 , 336 ; 1975 c. 110 ; 1995 a. 448 s. 296 ; Stats. 1995 s. 961.54.