Pubdate: Wed, 22 Jun 2005 Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC) Copyright: 2005 The Vancouver Sun Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477 Author: Darah Hansen Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) CUT POWER TO POT HOMES, FIRE CHIEF SAYS It Works Better, Costs Less Than Court System, Surrey Officials Say SURREY - Cracking down on safety violations, rather than seeking criminal prosecution, is a more efficient and cost-effective means of driving marijuana growers out of business, says Surrey Fire Chief Len Garis. Garis based his findings on a 90-day pilot project in Surrey that saw city fire and electrical inspectors, working with police, shut off power to 119 homes -- all suspected marijuana-growing operations. From March 15 to June 3, the inspection team investigated 126 homes with unusual electrical power consumption rates. If the home was found to be a safety hazard, power was shut off. A permit and follow-up investigation by Surrey electrical inspectors was required to have power restored. According to Garis, in the majority of the houses inspected there was evidence of recently removed marijuana-growing operations, from mouldy floors and ceilings, to marijuana leaves and potting circles on the floors. In other cases, the illegal crops had been abandoned by growers before the inspection could be carried out. No arrests were made during the project time period, but that wasn't the point, said Garis. The focus of the project was strictly on public safety. According to Garis, 12 house fires in Surrey -- almost nine per cent -- were caused by growing operations in 2004 and a home with a growing operation in it is statistically 24 times more likely to go up in flames than a residential house. Garis said he began looking for an alternative to tackling the increasing problem of marijuana-growing operations last year on the belief that the current system of criminal prosecution is failing. In Surrey, police took down 257 grow operations in 2004 -- about 13 per cent of the city's estimated 2,000 growing operations. More and more takedowns are of the "no case" variety in which the grow-operation is dismantled, but no charges are filed. When charges are filed and convictions gained, sentences tend to be lenient. Police estimate the marijuana trade in the province is worth $7 billion annually. "The solution to the problem was getting further and further out there . the system was overwhelmed," Garis said. Under the Electrical Fire and Safety Investigation Initiative, inspectors can enter a home cited as a safety risk on 48 hours notice. According to a report written by Garis and presented to Surrey council Monday, the five-person fire and safety investigation team averaged 35 power disconnections per month during the pilot project. Estimated costs associated with the project averaged $40,616 per month, Garis said. In the same 90-day period, Surrey RCMP took down a total of 75 grow operations, at an estimated cost of $66,164 per month. Garis said search warrants, resources and excessive paper work associated with the police busts slow down their progress. Safety inspectors using the authority of provincial legislation, meanwhile, face less rigorous legal standards. Garis said follow-up investigations on the addresses identified in the pilot project will be reinspected in three to four months time to ensure growers are not setting up business again. Abbotsford has initiated a project similar to Surrey, but is focusing on unusual water consumption, rather than electrical power. According to Jay Teichroeb, city economic develop manager, the city used the authority under the BC Building Code and Fire Services Act to force 12 grow operations out of business between May 16 and June 10. In Abbotsford, as in Surrey, all costs associated with bringing properties back into compliance are charged to the property owner. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth