LIST OF LEGAL GROW-OPS MUST BE SHARED

They say that early morning hours are the best times.

That's when the eyelids of even the most professional criminals tend to droop.

Picture the scene in pre-dawn darkness - the heavily armed police
check their bullet-proof vests one last time, guns are eased into
holsters, the door-slamming battering ram is clenched in meaty fists,
the drug-sniffing dogs whine eagerly at the end of their leashes.

The order is given and the team strikes!

Doors fly off their hinges, cries of "Police! Freeze!" fill the air
as guns point and flashlights sweep, and suspects are dragged down and cuffed.

Now, picture the look on the commanding officer's face when one of
the suspects directs him to a special piece of paper - the one that
proves this is not just any marijuana grow op, but a federally
licensed marijuana grow op.

This dope is kosher.

An embarrassing mistake by the police?

Well, not really.

Cops have to dig hard and work with everyone from hydro officials to
neighbourhood watch to identify these grow-ops.

They have had no way of knowing if these modified houses, filled with
illegal plants, are among those licensed by the feds.

That's because Health Canada keeps the list of licensed operations,
allowed to grow pot for medical or research purposes, a closely guarded secret.

As a result, Ontario's York Regional Police accidentally raided two
Health Canada-approved medicinal weed grow houses last year.

Raids like that are a waste of valuable police time and resources,
and a potentially dangerous situation for raiders and the raided alike.

That's why Health Canada has now agreed to answer if police ask them
about the legal status of a discovered grow-op.

But that's not near good enough.

The cops say the two licensed bud operations they hit were not
properly wired and could have been fire hazards. They want Ottawa to
set some standards for legal chronic factories, including building
inspections and checks for electrical and fire safety.

And the police are not battling the feds on their own.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is on board, adding to the
pressure on Health Canada.

Cities and towns across the nation are asking why there should be
potentially dangerous ganja grow-ops in their own backyards without
anyone's knowledge, and no guarantees they are properly built, wired
or maintained.

Health Canada doesn't want to let the hep-cats out of the bag, saying
licensed grass growers are potential targets for criminals or
harassment, and their identity must be protected.

But where does the greater question of public safety kick in?

Nobody wants to see sick people who benefit from it being deprived of
their bud or being targeted by criminals or the ignorant.

But if the house next door is liable to go up in smoke (and not in a
good way), you have the right to be protected.

Ottawa will have to find a way to satisfy both public safety and
individual privacy concerns.

Maybe they need to conduct their own inspections to municipal
standards, so they can assure local officials that licensed
giggle-weed farmers are doing it right.

But a secret record with no public protection built in?

Sorry, Health Canada, you can't bogart that list anymore.