Pubdate: Sun, 14 Nov 2004 Source: Annex Guardian (CN ON) Copyright: 1996-2004 Metroland Printing, Publishing and Distributing Contact: http://www.insidetoronto.ca/to/annex/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2316 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/grow+operations POT LAWS AN ENIGMA It's hard to escape the pungent irony of a federal government that is planning to decriminalize pot possession in Canada while law enforcement and municipal officials here at home are gearing up for an all-out assault on marijuana grow houses. The federal Liberals surely have good intentions in their bid to reduce criminal penalties for simple possession, but the scourge of grow operations in Toronto clearly demonstrate that there is much more to recreational marijuana use than taking the occasional toke. To that end, it is encouraging to see municipal officials in Toronto moving now to pull all the levers they have at their disposal to combat this community-based crime. Just this week, councillors on the city's planning committee decided to explore, in conjunction with senior levels of government, how it might give more authority to property standards and health inspectors to help identify and shut down these operations more quickly. Their actions come at a time when Toronto police officers have been faced with an issue that, quite literally, continues to grow in neighbourhoods around the city. Just last week, for example, police raided one grow operation that contained 4,200 plants with a street value of $4.2 million. That operation, police say, is just one of nearly 300 similar ones in homes and industrial units throughout the city that have been shut down this year. And there are still dozens, perhaps hundreds, more operating in the city. From a health perspective, it's clear that these grow operations, particularly those in residential neighbourhoods, pose a danger to nearby residents. There are illegal and potentially deadly hydro bypasses that are required to maintain secrecy. There are organized gangs with steep investments in their products that are willing to use violence to protect those investments. There are other criminals willing to use violence to steal that investment from homes in otherwise quiet neighbourhoods. There are fire hazards from the lamps and electrical wiring used in the growing process, and the buildings sometimes suffer structural damage. All of these elements threaten the health and safety of the larger community. Clearly, if Toronto is to succeed in dismantling these operations, the issue cannot be seen solely as a law enforcement responsibility. Citizens have a stake in helping to identify these operations in their neighbourhoods. Politicians have a responsibility to use all of the tools they have to make these operations more difficult to set up. Finally, higher levels of government must find ways to provide more tools, through legislative changes and additional funding, to assist in what is surely to be a long and arduous initiative. You may agree that recreational pot use shouldn't lead to a criminal record. But bear in mind that those same people who light up in the privacy of their own homes are culpable in keeping these illegal grow operations in business. They aren't mutually exclusive issues. We must confront both. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin