Pubdate: Thu, 24 Apr 2003 Source: Mission City Record (CN BC) Copyright: 2003 The Mission City Record Contact: http://www.missioncityrecord.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1305 Author: Scott Johnson BUSTING GROW OPS NOT POLICE'S JOB Editor, The Record: After years of public displays from police spokesmen and parroted news releases from every media outlet in the country we finally have a policeman that tells a partial truth. Pot growing is not glamorous. What happened to the "Million Dollar Grow Houses" and all the bombast and BS we have heard, the casual tossing on of a thousand per cent more than the real values. The truth be told, marijuana growing is farming with all the pitfalls and profits that the growing of a plant can involve. A plant that normal everyday people ingest. The reason there is profit and organized crime is there are ridiculous amounts of the public treasury and labour invested in a losing proposition, the great price support war about drugs. Did I read it right? There were 55 officers out making 14 busts in 10 hours. That's not law enforcement, that's a pogrom. A pogrom against a lifestyle, and a truly evil day and an embarrassment to our justice system and our sense of justice. And now the police finally admit in a roundabout self-serving way that they are at war over what turns out to be an economic crime, a bunch of dirt farmers. Fifty-five officers and how many support staff, lawyers, judges, it goes on and on. When will someone stand tall and say enough is enough, legalize it and tell the police to get on with their jobs, cause this ain't it. Scott Johnson - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens