MORE SUPPORT NEEDED TO FIGHT MARIJUANA GROW-OPS

Editor, The Record:

The article by Carol Aun was a timely as well as necessary reminder of
just how the cancerous hold on our neighbourhoods by the grow ops is
still strong among the subculture of the drug trade. The topic has
been pushed into the background by other issues recently but it is
something which we should all be vigilant about in order to keep our
neighbourhoods free of this garbage.

And by garbage I mean the addicts, the growers, and ultimately the
gangs who are growing rich ruining lives, as well as their supporters
in our legal system who have distorted our laws to their own benefit.

I totally support those people locally who are risking their lives
taking down these grow-ops. Maybe that frequent writer from Abbotsford
who supports the use of illegal drugs might not but I do. But then I'm
not about to listen to the pot induced musings of a self-confessed and
self-medicating stoner anymore than I'd accept financial advice from a
bank robber.

This doesn't come from some outdated ideas on what is right or wrong
from the Judaic-Christian value systems. It comes from the newest
scientific and psychological studies that are showing that pot is far
from the harmless recreational drug that its devotes want you to
believe. We're setting ourselves up for an explosion in mental health
problems as the long term effects of use become more apparent.

While I appreciate the work being done to shut down the grow ops as
quickly as our laws - which are totally skewed to the criminal's
benefit - can allow for but here's my question: why isn't City Hall
doing more? Forget Japan, I wish we were twinned with the mayor of
Surrey who wages a very active and public fight against the grow ops
and their ultimately benefactors in the gangs.

Does the city not have the power under the Health Act to tear down the
buildings where grow ops have been because of the chemicals used which
have seeped into the very foundations of these buildings? If not, then
why hasn't our council and mayor established a registry of former grow
ops like Calgary has done so that no unsuspecting home buyers are
stuck with these contaminated properties? Who is City Hall really protecting?

We know the grow ops and their supporters are everywhere in society.
Does that fact cloud our council's judgement on this issue? I don't
know one way or the other but I do think they could be doing a lot
more which makes me doubt their commitment to the fight.

Support from the provincial government is also necessary but their
zeal to fight crime before the last election has all but evaporated
away now. Which brings us back to the extensive coverage recently in
The Record. We have to be more proactive in reporting grow ops and
suspicious activities in our own neighbourhoods. Yes, it takes time to
shut these ultimate cash cows for the gangs down but reporting them is
the first step. What are you going to do to protect your
neighbourhood?

Robert T. Rock

Mission