SECLUDED AREAS IN DANGER OF GOING TO POT

As everyone knows, the agricultural sector is a vital factor in the
economy of Dufferin County. One particular area of farming is quite
lucrative but doesn't contribute to the tax base and is a cause for
perennial consternation.

Police say outdoor marijuana grow operations are becoming more
common in the secluded areas around the county. So much so, that
they were a topic at a recent Town of Mono council meeting.

When OPP Sergeant Steve Sills was presenting the force's annual
report on the force's activities in Mono, Councillor Jean Castel
spoke of an incident where his wife and her friend were taking a
stroll along the Fourth Line.

It turned into an unnerving experience when a pickup truck passed
them five times and the driver, a stranger to them, was scrutinizing
them in a lessthan friendly manner.

There have also been reports of people hiking in the woods, only to
come upon a "No Trespassing" sign.

They had a right to be confused since the sign was on their own
property and they hadn't put it there.

Sgt. Sills ventured that the driver checking out Ms. Castel could be
among "people coming up from the city and growing their own
marijuana on other people's property." He also said the OPP is
involved in a "visibility campaign" to help officers and the
public deal with the problem.

In a recent release, the OPP pointed out that 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, growers will bring to the area large bags
of fertilizer, shovels, chemicals, pails and, of course, the
marijuana plants. The plants are planted and maintained by the
growers 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 growers return to harvest
their plants, leaving the root of the plant behind.

For those unfamiliar with the plants, they are bright green in
colour and the leaves have seven jagged fingers.

They grow to between three and five feet in height and give off an
odour that resembles vegetation that has just been sprayed by a skunk.

Common indicators that a 'grow op' may be in your neighbourhood:
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, and clearedout areas in swamps,
wooded areas or corn fields.

If someone suspects such an operation is taking place, he or she is
asked to not intervene, but to contact police with pertinent
information, such as licence plate numbers.

Call your local OPP drug force member or the Drug Enforcement
Section at (705) 735-4750 (an after-hours name and number is
provided) or Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222- TIPS.