Pubdate: Sun, 29 Feb 2004
Source: Langley Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2004 BC Newspaper Group and New Media Development
Contact:  http://www.langleytimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1230
Author: Natasha Jones

'NO SHORTAGE OF WORK' FOR GREEN TEAM

Police investigations into marijuana production, clandestine drug 
laboratories and trafficking in illegal substances cost Langley taxpayers 
hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

But if the two Langley councils accept a proposal by the local RCMP 
detachment, local taxpayers could be spared the rising financial burden of 
drug law enforcement.

The proposal, said media liaison officer Cpl. Dale Carr, would make drug 
investigation expenses "cost neutral" by charging them to the owner of a 
property on which the illegal drug activity took place.

"It's very effective in Surrey, where it has been in place for years," Carr 
said.

Meanwhile, Carr said that the detachment shares the view of MP Randy White 
on low fines for possessing three or fewer pot plants.

"A fine is a step in the right direction, but the downside is that it seems 
that by decriminalizing, it's almost condoning and encouraging an increase 
in usage of drugs," Carr said.

Carr said that investigations into illegal drug operations are so intense 
that the moment a file is concluded, another is opened.

"Our green team works on investigations on a daily basis," Carr said. "They 
are constantly working. There is no shortage of work."

Noting White's criticism that Bill C-10, which amends the Controlled Drugs 
and Substances Act, offers nothing new to help police crack down on grow 
houses, Carr said: "It would be ideal to have more manpower. We could 
probably double the size of our green team and still have lots of work for 
them."

Another major concern for White and the police is the absence of measures 
to deal with the increasing toxicity of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the 
primary intoxicant in marijuana.

Carr said it is imperative to have laws in place so that police can deal 
with motorists who drive while impaired by drugs.

"The problem is that we have nothing in place to compel an individual to 
comply with sobriety tests where police suspect impairment by drugs," he 
said. These tests would be similar to the breathalyzer, which measures the 
level of alcohol in a person's blood.

A test for drugs differs from the breathalyzer in that it would likely 
require a suspect to give a fluid sample, such as blood or urine, Carr said.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom