Pubdate: Fri, 06 Jul 2007 Source: Record, The (CN QU) Copyright: 2007 The Sherbrooke Record Contact: http://www.sherbrookerecord.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3194 Author: Maurice Crossfield Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) GROWING SEASON: ARE FARMERS REALLY BEING INTIMIDATED? Summer is unmistakably the growing season, whether your green thumb is producing a legal crop or an illegal one. But farmers finding their fields hijacked by marijuana growers may have a little extra help in dealing with the problem. In Brome-Missisquoi and in Coaticook, farmers can sign a "social contract" with the Surete du Quebec . The contract gives police permission to venture onto the land at any time in search of outlaw plantations. Otherwise police can't check a property without probable cause, or permission from the landowner. "This increases their security because the grower doesn't necessarily know where the police got their information from," said Lt. Jimmy Potvin, head of the Coaticook detachment of the SQ. "It helps avoid intimidation." However, cases of intimidation may not be as common as news coverage would make it seem. Media reports of farmers being threatened by growers are common, but often lack people willing to come forward to back up the allegations. Just how often it actually happens is unclear. "I've had no cases of intimidation reported," Potvin said. He agreed it may be more of a case of farmers silently agreeing to look the other way rather than cause trouble. In Coaticook this is the second year of the social contract, a program brought in from the Mauricie region. With its large tracts of farmland accompanied by a booming marijuana market and proximity to the US border, Coaticook's public security committee cited pot as one of its prime concerns. Those farm fields make for ideal growing conditions for marijuana: The soil is well tilled, and crops like corn help hide the pot plants. In some cases growers have been known to go into a corn field and clear large areas for their own use. Often a farmer will only discover the plantation when they harvest their corn in the fall. "We imported the project and adapted it to our local conditions," Potvin said. He said the objective is to get 100 of the MRC's 475 farms to sign the social contract. Over in Brome-Missisquoi this week, SQ officers retrieved 880 marijuana plants from a farm field on Rang 5 in St-Ignace-de-Stanbridge after receiving information from the public. Another, smaller plantation was found on Dymond Road in Dunham, as well. Operation Cisaille, the SQ's year-round anti-marijuana operation, has itself been growing. Between 1981 and 2004 the number of marijuana cases has increased by 460 per cent. While the SQ hauled away 74,000 pot plants in Quebec in 1993, in 2005 they seized over 700,000 plants. Quebec leads all Canadian provinces in seizures, beating out British Columbia by nearly 200,000 plants a year. It's also more potent now than ever before. According to the SQ's Internet website, weed grown in the 1970s had about three per cent THC, the active ingredient that gives smokers a buzz. Today's Townships Gold boasts a heady 11.5 per cent THC, and levels up to nearly 30 per cent have been recorded in some high-end varieties. Farmers aren't the only ones having to contend with outlaw gardeners. The SQ says 47 per cent of its busts are indoor operations, typically in rented homes. It says growers are attracted to Quebec's lower property values and lighter criminal sentences. While farmers have to deal with crop loss, homeowners who inadvertently rent to growers have to deal with moisture damage and other problems once the growers leave. In most cases insurance companies don't cover grow-op damage, even if an electrical problem makes the whole place go up in flames. Police suggest that if you come upon a plantation, it's best to stay away. The plantation may be guarded or booby trapped: go home and call the Info Crime line at 1-800-711-1800. All calls to Info Crime are confidential, and cannot even be traced. Or you can call the SQ directly at 310-4141. - ----------------------------------- The signs The SQ offers some advice on things to watch for if you suspect there are marijuana growers in your area: Outdoor plantations - - The comings and goings of unfamiliar vehicles. That can include cars parked on back roads near fields of forests. Some municipalities have outlawed parking on their secondary roads to make it harder for pot farmers. - - The discovery of new or unusual trails. These may be marked in some way to help the grower find their plantation. - - Discarded gardening equipment, tools, or empty fertilizer containers. Farmer Brown probably isn't using Miracle Grow on his 25-acre corn field. Indoor plantations - - Houses where no one seems to live, but which are visited regularly. - - Windows are never open. They may even be blocked so no one can see in. - - A persistent ventilation sound. This may be accompanied by a lingering skunky smell - the smell of marijuana. - --- MAP posted-by: Steve Heath