HIGH YIELD FOR OUTDOOR WEED BIZ

This summer's sunny weather wasn't only beautiful and bountiful for
beach-goers and sunbathers, but marijuana growers were also happy to
soak in all of the rays.

"It was an unbelievable growing season this year, just because the
weather was optimum," said Ontario Provincial Police Staff Sgt. Clint
Hunter, commander of the Central North Drug Unit. "You had a lot of
moisture there at the beginning and then a lot of heat, then some
moisture again near the end. So, it was a bumper crop."

Most of the outdoor marijuana has been harvested by now, Hunter
said.

"It's not over yet," he said. "If you look at a farmer's cornfield and
the corn is gone, your weed's probably gone, too. It's the same sort
of growing season as corn.

"If the frost hits and (the marijuana) is still there, it's useless,"
Hunter added. "It's just like your mom's potted plants out front."

There are generally two types of marijuana growers. Those who prefer
the benefits of technology and keeping their plants under wraps with
indoor growing, and others who take advantage of open spaces and
seclusion outdoors.

But as far as preference, to each his own, police say. Most growers
usually have expertise in one or the other.

"Most outdoor growers will start their plants indoors in the spring to
get a head start, but not necessarily grow during the winter," Barrie
police Const. Rob Adam said.

However, most of the people who are growing marijuana indoors at this
time of year are indoors all the time, he added.

"We have had at least 10 or more outdoor grows this year," Adam said.
"Most were small in size, about 75 plants or under. But there's still
lots of area to grow, like backyards."

Whether it's indoor or outdoor, it's not a fading trend.

"I don't see it slowing down," Hunter said, adding there doesn't seem
to be a preference for indoor or outdoor venues. "It's wherever
opportunity exists."

Indoor grow-ops tend to be more organized, he added, more than a plant
in the closet, which is becoming prevalent these days.

Officers still come across the full fields of marijuana periodically,
but there are also scenarios where marijuana will be planted amongst
other legitimate crops, such as corn.

Provincial police rely not only on tips from the public, but drug
officers also get up into the air in an OPP helicopter to spot
grow-ops from the sky.

"It's just one more tool that we can use and get up top," Hunter said.
"You can be driving around on the roads all day -- that's why they
grow it in swampy areas that you don't have access to."

The marijuana tends to stick out like a sore thumb, he
added.

"The spotter (a police officer) usually knows the area, whereas the
pilots just have an eye for it," Hunter said. "I think that's just
because they're up in the sky a lot and just know how a field should
look. It's an uncanny ability that the pilots seem have to be able to
see it quickly."

The Central North Drug Unit's area goes from north of Toronto to the
other side of Huntsville, and east-west from the Peterborough area and
Collingwood.

Police encourage farmers and hikers to call authorities immediately if
they stumble across a grow-op, primarily for safety reasons. Some
marijuana crops have been found booby-trapped.

"If you come upon a plot, let us know as soon as possible," Hunter
said. "With the bad guys protecting their plots, that's when people
get hurt."

Crime Stoppers can be reached at 1-800-222-TIPS.

At this time of year, it has been a little busier for the Barrie drug
unit dealing with outdoor grow-ops, but the indoor operations continue
all year round.

"It's a 365-day, 24/7 business for us and for them," Adam
said.

"We had substantially more indoor and outdoor (grow-ops found) this
year," he added. "It doesn't mean, necessarily, there have been more,
but we have had better success locating them."

Barrie police have also witnessed the benefits of better weather this
summer for growing marijuana. Police released a photo of an officer
standing beside an eight-foot plant that towered over him by a couple
of feet.