Jamie Folk v. Attorney General's Office (SPR 20181108)

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Public Records Division Rebecca S. Murray Supervisor of Records August 8,2018 SPR1811108 Lorraine A.G. Tarrow, Esq. Assistant Attorney General & Records Access Officer Office of the Attorney General General Counsel's Office One Ashburton Place Boston, MA 02108 Dear Attorney Tarrow: I have received the petition of James Folk appealing the response of the Office of the Attorney General (AGO) to a request for public records. G. L. c. 66, 5 10A; see also 950 C.M.R. 32.08(1). Specifically, Mr. Folk initially requested: "[all1 interviews (written, audio and video recordings) and investigation summaries, notes and emails for the Attorney General's investigation into the classification of federally schedule drugs that are not illegal in MA. The drugs in question could include, but aren't limited to, the following Molly, Foxy, Bath Salts, and BZP." In a March 7thr esponse the AGO, guided by information in the supplemental materials provided to them by Mr. Folk, identified 326 electronic records retrieved by use of search terms outlined in Mr. Folk's request (i.e. "Molly," "Foxy," "Bath Salts," and "BZP"). The AGO provided Mr. Folk with a fee estimate of $625.00. Mr. Folk informed this office that he provided the AGO with a check for the $625 estimate; however, has not had a status report on the processing of his request since an April 2othe mail from Jon Cubetus, a Paralegal in the AGO'S General Counsel's Office. As a result this appeal was opened. In an August 7,2018 telephone conversation with a Public Records Division staff attorney, you informed this office that the AGO is still reviewing all the records for responsiveness as the key search terms, such as "Molly" may have not only retrieved records referring to the drug, "Molly" but also a woman's name. The AGO is still in the process of reviewing for the restricted materials that may need to be redacted prior to disclosure, as previously stated in its March 7thr esponse. You informed this office that the AGO hopes to provide Mr. Folk with the responsive records within the next 10 business days. - One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, Boston, Massachusetts 02108 * (617) 727-2832. Fax: (617) 727-5914 sec.state.ma.us/pre pre@sec.state.ma.us

Lorraine A.G. Tarrow, Esq. Page 2 August 8,2018 Conclusion Accordingly, given that the AGO has indicated that it is working to provide Mr. Folk with the responsive records in a manner consistent with the Public Records Law and its regulations within 10 business days, I will consider this appeal closed. Any response provided to Mr. Folk must be provided to this office. It is preferable to send an electronic copy of the response to this office at pre@,sec.state.ma.us. Sincerely, Rebecca S. Murray Supervisor of Records cc: James Folk