Pot seizures in N.B. up in 2010, says RCMP

RCMP seizures of marijuana plants are up this year, and the force
attributes that to an increase in the number of grow operations and a
spike in the number of tips from the public.

The RCMP's New Brunswick division reported Thursday that the force has
seized more than 23,000 marijuana plants over the past few months.

That represents a 53 per cent increase in seizures over the same
period in 2009, a news release stated.

RCMP spokesman Staff Sgt. Gary Cameron said there are a couple of
factors that account for the spike in pot plant seizures.

"The public is part of the solution," he said, noting that there was
an increase in the number of tips about marijuana grow operations that
the RCMP received so far this year.

The RCMP is working to educate the public about the dangers of
marijuana grow-ops so as to maintain that momentum and even increase
the number of tips it receives, Cameron said.

Marijuana grow-ops can pose a danger to the public, he said. With
outdoor operations, they are sometimes protected by traps that can
pose risk of injury to members of the public who happen upon them or
police officers who go in to seize the plants, Cameron said.

Indoor grow-ops pose different risks.

"These operations can be very dangerous to communities," said RCMP
Insp. Guy Rook.

"Indoor marijuana grow operations pose an increased risk of fire,
toxic chemical exposure and, of course, criminal activity, which can
bring a higher potential for violence to our neighbourhoods."

Cameron said another reason that the number of seizures is up this
year is that there was more marijuana being grown.

It was a hot summer and that made for good pot-growing conditions
outside, he said.

Outdoor grow-ops can be hard to find, even through air surveillance,
Cameron said, so the RCMP counts on tips, which can be given
anonymously through CrimeStoppers (1-800-222-TIPS).

Now that things are cooling off, Rook said, there will likely be an
increase in the number of indoor grow-ops.

Outdoor grow-ops aren't as common in urban areas such as Fredericton,
Cameron said.

"Most of the large plantations are away from the populated areas," he
said.