LAW TARGETING GROW-OPS LEGAL

B.C.'s controversial Safety Standards Act -- aimed at smoking out
dangerous grow-ops -- has survived a constitutional challenge.

But police officers who tag along with municipal safety inspectors
must bring along a search warrant before gaining access to a home, a
B.C. Supreme Court judge has ruled.

The judge said marijuana grow-ops, which often contain adaptations to
allow electricity to illegally bypass meters, are a safety hazard.

The Electrical Fire Safety Initiative, which began in Surrey two years
ago and has since spread to other jurisdictions, was successfully
challenged by Jason Arkinstall of Surrey, who refused to allow police
to enter his home in May 2007 when they accompanied safety inspectors.