Pubdate: Wed, 22 Aug 2007
Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC)
Copyright: 2007 Times Colonist
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481
Author: Matthew Gauk, Times Colonist
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

POLICE GOING GREEN WITH THIS YEAR'S POT ERADICATION PROGRAM

Police are going green with this year's helicopter-aided marijuana 
eradication operation, which began across Vancouver Island yesterday.

Illicit backwoods grow-ops damage the environment, said Cpl. Greg Cox, 
Island District RCMP communications officer.

For example, streams are often diverted to the grow-ops to provide for 
convenient watering, he said. Native plants get trampled by people carving 
trails in and out of the sites.

"But it's also the chemicals used in the production of these operations," 
said Cox. "There are growth-enhancing chemicals [and] pesticides being 
introduced into pristine lands. Then, there's the garbage at the 
post-production sites, the empty or half-used bags of fertilizer and 
garbage bags, all that sort of thing, the stuff that's left over after 
they're done harvesting."

The Wilderness Committee weighed in on the issue, too, with Victoria 
campaign director Ken Wu pointing out that his organization is always 
concerned about non-native species such as scotch broom, holly and purple 
loosestrife.

"Marijuana is not a native species to Vancouver Island and B.C. forests," 
Wu said with a laugh.

"Now, they're not knocking down whole tracts of forest, like they do in 
pure agriculture, to grow marijuana. My understanding is when it's grown 
outdoors, it's grown in patches in the forest, in which case you'd 
eliminate the understory and the native plants and the animals that live on 
those native plants in those areas," said Wu.

Cox said that the size and location of the grow-ops varies greatly but that 
some sites are "quite sizable." In 2004, a police, RCMP and military task 
force on marijuana found a grow-op near Port Hardy that was about the size 
of two football fields, according to officers.

This week, the Integrated Marijuana Eradication Team will move on outdoor 
grow-ops, which are often deep in the bush on Crown land, using 
intelligence collected beforehand.

The team, which consists of members of the Saanich and Victoria police 
departments, Island District RCMP and the Canadian Forces, uses military 
and police helicopters from Comox. The military contribution helps them get 
to grow-ops in otherwise inaccessible locations, Cox said.

Last summer, the team found and destroyed 16,500 plants from more than 200 
sites.

Cox said the team's work won't be limited to Vancouver Island and could 
include some of the Gulf Islands.

He added that the operation will continue as long as is necessary to 
eradicate all of the grow-ops they know about or come across. 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D