Pubdate: Mon, 17 Mar 2003 Source: Surrey Now (CN BC) Copyright: 2003 Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc., A Canwest Company Contact: http://www.thenownewspaper.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1462 MELLOW APPROACH TO GROW-OPS WRONG There's no time for dawdling when it comes to stamping out Surrey's many marijuana growing operations. It's heartening that federal Solicitor General Wayne Easter visited the city this week to explore the extent of the problem himself, and that he said he'll take police concerns to government caucus. But let's hope more good news - actual action on the part of the feds - won't be buried in endless committees studying the problem, and dickering over the Criminal Code. The police, local MPs and other politicians, and of course Surrey residents themselves, have long known about the proliferation of marijuana growing operations here, albeit perhaps not to the extent that as many as 4,500 such operations are among us. For some people, pot brings to mind stoner fun like Cheech and Chong, but the grow-ops themselves are nothing to laugh about. Growers posing as bogus tenants ruin landlords; and the actual operations are fire risks. There's nothing mellow or funny about the culture of violent crime revolving around these illicit agricultural endeavours, either. This week, B.C.'s Solicitor General revealed that more than 60 homicides presently being investigated in B.C. are tied to grow-ops. It speaks volumes that Washington state, which has stiffer laws than B.C. when it comes to pot, has fewer grow ops than B.C. Canada's feds must change the Criminal Code to provide harsh penalties for convicted pot growers. Only the federal government can do that, and the ball is entirely in its court. Historically, the federal Liberals cannot be accused of making hasty changes to the Code. But let's hope they move on this, and soon, as organized crime's roots reach deep into our community. - --- MAP posted-by: Alex