HTTP/1.0 200 OK Content-Type: text/html Pushing Out Pot Farmers 
Pubdate: Wed, 14 Mar 2007
Source: Tri-City News (Port Coquitlam, CN BC)
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Copyright: 2007 Tri-City News
Contact:  http://www.tricitynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1239
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

PUSHING OUT POT FARMERS

Marijuana grow ops are no joke in the Tri-Cities, where hardly a week 
goes by without a bust or a raid. And area residents are increasingly 
at risk of being in the line of fire when criminals try to steal from 
criminals.

Sadder still is the plight of children living in homes that house 
grow ops who must be shunted off to foster care when their parents 
are charged while their homes, hard-wired to suck up electricity, 
make for dangerous living conditions for inhabitants and neighbours.

It's no surprise, then, that police and city officials are using what 
tools they have to enter and shut down these indoor pot farms. 
Coquitlam will likely adopt next Monday the Public Safety Inspection 
Program, which gives police and inspectors the clout to enter homes 
with high energy consumption within 48 hours of notice and to charge 
the homeowners $5,000 in fees associated with the safety inspection.

There is some concern these powers are too broad for the 
circumstances and could entrap an innocent hobbyist with an 
electricity-draining collection of aquariums or over-developed model 
train set. But those circumstances would be rare, if not improbable.

Even so, most Coquitlam residents would probably put public safety 
over individual rights if it would make their neighbourhoods safer. 
As it is, there are few other ways, except power consumption, to 
identify a grow op, especially today, when people are rarely home 
during the day and don't always know their neighbours.

Some might argue this so-called war on drugs, which requires pot 
growers to go underground -- or, in many cases, the basement -- to 
avoid detection is getting increasingly dangerous and costly while 
accomplishing very little.

But until someone comes up with a better idea, this get-tough, 
search-and-seizure program is the best tool cities have to push pot farmers out.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman