Pubdate: Sun, 27 Sep 2009
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author: Katie Mercer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

GROW-OPS WILT UNDER SURREY PROGRAM

Marijuana grow-ops are down 81 per cent in Surrey -- and the city 
wants other communities to follow suit.

Surrey Mayor Diane Watts said the decrease was a result of the 
Electrical Fire Safety Inspection program launched in 2005.

The program was created after provincial legislation changes in 2004 
allowed municipalities to request customers' residential records from 
B.C. Hydro. The city has since completed 1,370 inspections, finding 
grow-ops in 76 per cent of the properties.

Now Watts wants other cities to jump on board.

Two guidebooks offering anecdotal advice and research about grow-ops 
will be released at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention Monday.

The guidebooks were co-authored by University of the Fraser Valley 
criminologist Darryl Plecas, fire chief Len Garis, Dr. Irwin Cohen 
and Amanda McCormick.

"The books lay out what we have learned in dealing with this problem 
over the last five years," Watts said in a release. "I believe that 
all communities must work together and share best practices."

Plecas said Surrey's success may mean grow-ops have simply moved to 
other municipalities.

"These guidebooks were developed in part because we wished we had had 
something like this when we first started," Garis added. "Now other 
communities can quickly assess what it will take to put into place 
the necessary teams and processes."

Surrey's crackdown included creating bylaws placing responsibility 
for grow-ops on landlords, property owners and businesses.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom