POT PATCH VIOLENCE A MYTH

Justice Minister Wrong, Lawyers Say. Ontario Police Met With Violence In
Only Two Of 800 Raids In 4 Years, Cop Testifies

Despite the murders of four RCMP officers at a marijuana grow operation in
northern Alberta last week, many in the legal community say the claim by
politicians and police that grow-ops are violent vehicles for
sophisticated, organized crime groups is a "cheap shot" that does not stand
up to "10 minutes of fact checking."

Numerous lawyers who defend these cases in court suggested Public Security
Minister Anne McLellan is misleading the public about the dangers of
grow-ops with her recent comments in the wake of the Alberta murders.

The deputy prime minister said last week that "almost all grow-ops are run
by organized crime." She warned judges who don't impose tougher sentences
that "all of us, including the judiciary, need to understand what is at
stake here."

"Anne McLellan does not live in the real world. She just does not know what
is going on," said Toronto defence lawyer Peter Zaduk.

"I have had hundreds of cases. I can't recall one with a violent struggle,"
said Vancouver defence lawyer Cobb.

The two experienced lawyers have defended hundreds of grow-op cases in
British Columbia and Ontario and they say the evidence in court never
matches up to the "myths" spread by politicians and the police.

A month earlier, in a trial in Barrie, Ont., an officer admitted under
cross-examination that the Ontario Provincial Police have encountered
violence in only two out of 800 grow-op raids in the past four years.