THREE YEARS, 1,000 GROW-OPS GONE

The B.C. Supreme Court Got It Right.

On Friday, Justice William Smart ruled that Surrey's grow-op
inspection initiative - the Safety Standards Amendment Act - does not
violate the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and can continue
to be used to combat marijuana grow operations in this city, and by
extension, all B.C. municipalities.

The one caveat? The teams, previously made up of city bylaw
inspectors, fire department members and RCMP officers, can no longer
use police to inspect the premises.

"A police search of a private residence, even when conducted in aid of
an electrical safety inspection, is intrusive," Smart said.

Fair enough. After all, keeping cops out of the equation won't impact
the effectiveness of the program. Prosecution was never the intention
of the initiative, which was launched by Surrey Fire Chief Len Garis
in March 2005 after a successful pilot project in this city.

Homeowners with unusually high power consumption are notified they
will be subject to an inspection. If they refuse, or a grow operation
is found, the power to the home is shut off.

No juice, no ganja. And the concept has worked. Since its inception
three years ago, the Surrey grow-op team has shut down nearly 1,000
pot operations. Garis believes many growers have moved to the B.C.
Interior. (Maybe communities there should look at implementing
Surrey's idea).

Marijuana grow operations have become a scourge of neighbourhoods.
They bring with them the threat of violence, and once growers move on,
the damaged homes - often contaminated with mould and other toxins -
are passed on to unsuspecting buyers.

Surrey's inspection teams are an effective tool in the fight against
drug crime.

Justice Smart lived up to his surname with this decision.