LOOK OUT FOR OUTDOOR MARIJUANA GROWS

Police Advise

As the warm weather arrives, Caledon OPP reports so does another
season for outdoor marijuana grow operations.

During the May and June of every year, persons involved in growing
marijuana head to the rural areas in search of property that they
could plant this illicit crop. Marijuana growers look for the
following areas: Swamps; corn fields; wooded areas; along rivers; and
rural rental properties with large acreage

Once an area is located, police report growers will bring to the area
large bags of fertilizer, shovels, chemicals, pails and of course the
marijuana plants. The plants are put in the ground and maintained by
the grower over the next five months while they mature. Due to the
heartiness of the marijuana plant, they only have to be tended to
approximately once every two weeks.

In late September or early October, the grower returns to harvest the
plants, leaving the roots behind.

Marijuana plants are bright green, the leaves have seven jagged
fingers, plants grow between three and five feet in height and give
off an odour similar to that of a skunk.

Common indicators of outdoor marijuana grows include: Abandoned
vehicles parked on side roads or trails; people observed walking in
remote areas for no apparent reason; bags of fertilizer, planting
trays or chemicals located in remote areas; well-trampled trails in
wooded or swamp areas; cleared out areas in swamps, wooded area or
corn fields; and numerous signs appear out of nowhere indicating "No
Trespassing."

What to do if you discover an outdoor marijuana operation: * Call
police or Crime stoppers if you suspect or locate a marijuana grow
operation. * Do not touch the marihuana plants due to possible
chemicals on them. * If confronted by a marijuana grower, just leave
the area, record any licence plates and call police. * Do not
approach an outdoor grow, due to the low percentage of grows being
booby trapped or guarded.