MEDICAL MARIJUANA A PAIN FOR POLICE

A licence to grow pot isn't going to help you if your home is invaded
by gun-wielding masked men in the middle of the night.

And the federal government's unwillingness to keep police in the loop
about medicinal marijuana isn't helping matters.

That was the message from Langley RCMP Supt. Derek Cooke when he spoke
to Langley City council on Monday night about the growing challenges
police face concerning medical grow operations.

Although they have no way of knowing how many legitimate grow ops
exist in Langley, police are seeing an increase in the number of
violent "grow rips" associated with them, he said.

"It's a valuable commodity, and to the person stealing it, it doesn't
matter whether it's a licensed or illegal operation."

One particular grow-op which Cooke has used as an example during
various discussions about the problem, is located across the street
from an elementary school and a day care centre. It came to the
attention of police after neighbours noticed a strong odour of marijuana.

Although the operation turned out to be legal, the people holding the
licence are not Langley residents, nor is the person who is lawfully
allowed to tend the crop, he said.

Then, two and a half weeks ago, that same grow-op was ripped off, when
armed men wearing balaclavas stormed in during the night.

"I don't want to suggest it's common, but it is becoming a more common
occurrence," Cooke said.

"It's not our role to act as security guards, but it would be nice to
know where (the legal grow-ops) are," he added during a later interview.

While he conceded it is a philosophical argument, Cooke believes much
of the problem lies with the rules laid out by the federal government
surrounding medical marijuana.

"My contention is that the legislation isn't serving us well," he
said.

Dismantling grow operations is a time-consuming process, but it is
being further complicated by the existence of medical crops, he said.

Because of privacy issues, no notification is given to police or local
government about where the legal grow operations are located he said.

"We can go to (the federal government) and say, 'We're about to
execute a warrant, is this a licensed operation?'

City Mayor Peter Fassbender said there has been "a lot of talk" with
the federal licensing agency about why people growing medical
marijuana can't be identified.

"A strong case was made that it doesn't make sense. Police should know
where they are, so they can protect them from being ripped off," said
Fassbender.

Sgt. Jason Wilde, NCO in charge of Langley's drug section, said that
while police can contact Health Canada with an address to learn
whether a building contains a medical marijuana grow op, it is a
time-consuming system that puts everyone involved at a higher risk
than necessary.

"It's a safety issue. We should get a list from them," he
said.

Police and firefighters would be better prepared going into a
situation if that information was in the system ahead of time, he added.

And when it comes to potential home invasions, said Wilde: "I think it's
safer for residents if police know."

Meanwhile, Cooke also pointed to a lack of on-site regulation as
further evidence the process is flawed.

Often, he said, people are producing quantities many times larger than
they are licensed to grow. Theft of electricity, a lack of regard for
safety regulations and mould are also among the violations regularly
found in licensed operations, he said.

"They present the same problems as illegal (grow ops) but they're
sanctioned by the federal government," said Cooke.

"I'd like to see regulations put in place to make it mandatory that
police are made aware of the locations (of medical marijuana crops)
and to have them subject to some sort of inspection process," said
Cooke.

He isn't suggesting police be responsible for the inspections.

"In fact, I'd rather we weren't," he said.

"But it could be done by City bylaw officers or some sort of
inspection agency."