INDOOR POT-GROWING OPERATIONS A HAZARD

The proliferation of indoor marijuana-growing operations in Petaluma
and elsewhere in Sonoma County is posing a serious fire hazard to
public safety workers and residents alike.

The problem is that indoor pot growing requires a huge amount of
electricity, and since this type of agricultural operation is
inherently illegal, the wiring needed for the lights is usually not
installed by licensed professionals. Rather, it is usually
jerry-rigged by growers whose primary interest is in making tax-free
money, and who are often not as concerned with adhering to proper
electrical safety standards. As a result, fire department officials
are seeing more fires caused by faulty wiring installed to grow pot.

A case in point is a two-alarm fire that destroyed much of a duplex on
Alma Court in Petaluma on May 7, displacing a family and causing a
firefighter to suffer serious burns on his hand after he partially
fell through a floor. Had the fireman fallen completely through the
floor, he would have come into contact with an exposed electrical
panel and could have been electrocuted.

Although the residence was vacant at the time of the fire, evidence
found at the scene showed that a marijuana-growing operation had been
on the premises previously and that an illegally installed power panel
was the likely cause of the fire.

Indoor marijuana growing operations pose several possible dangers to
inhabitants, according to fire officials, including potential fires
due to improper wiring, overloaded electrical systems and the extreme
heat generated by high-intensity, 1,000-watt lamps.

The recreational use of marijuana has become commonplace in
California, where voters approved the Compassionate Use Act in 1996
that allows for the medicinal use of marijuana. Residents can easily
obtain a medical marijuana card that allows them to buy cannabis at a
dispensary or cultivate it for personal use.

Recreational use of marijuana is fairly extensive here in Petaluma, as
evidenced by the proliferation of smoke shops downtown, so it's no
surprise that the number of indoor pot operations is growing here as
well. Between the legitimate medical marijuana users who grow their
own "medicine" at home, and the illegal indoor marijuana production
operations, the safety problems are also growing, according to local
police and fire officials.

Not only is growing marijuana indoors inherently hazardous, but is
also very energy-intensive due to the massive amount of electricity
needed to cultivate cannabis under lights. According to a recently
released report from UC Berkeley energy analyst Evan Mills as reported
in the Press Democrat, the state's indoor pot crop, estimated at more
than 2,000 tons a year, consumes more than $3 billion worth of
electricity and produces as many greenhouse gas emissions as 1 million
cars.

As such, the proliferation of Petaluma's indoor pot-growing operations
is increasing the community's carbon footprint in ways most people
never imagined.

Marijuana-growing operations are often found in converted bedrooms or
garages. Since most of these aren't protected by fire walls, a fire
can quickly spread. The operations can cause other hazards, too. The
high humidity they generate can damage the structure of a home, and
cause excessive mold growth that can harm the health of occupants.

Moreover, firefighters putting out a blaze in a home that contains
such an operation are at increased risk of being injured or
electrocuted.

Local fire officials say they are not aware of any available training
or instructional manuals being given to legitimate medicinal marijuana
growers to boost safety, and are concerned that such growers are
incurring as much risk as illegal growers. The Sonoma County Fire
Prevention Officers Association is working to find ways to improve
safety issues related to indoor marijuana operations and the Petaluma
Police Department is attempting to develop a policy that describes
proper procedures for medicinal marijuana growers to follow.
Councilmember Tiffany Renee stated Monday that a coalition of local
residents has plans to introduce a "grow house" ordinance that would
regulate electrical use and reduce the risk of fire, but it remains to
be seen what the guidelines would be or how effective they would be.

As for the larger commercial indoor growing operations that supply
adults and teenagers in Petaluma, it's unlikely that sound safety
practices will ever be adopted, any more than the companies that sell
indoor hydroponics equipment will decide to stop selling such gear
despite the obvious safety hazards their use triggers in home-grown
pot operations.

And because indoor grown pot is generally perceived as being more
potent, it tends to command higher prices at both medical marijuana
dispensaries and on the street. In the absence of any rational
governmental policy to regulate the cultivation of medicinal
marijuana, let alone recreational marijuana, the public safety and
environmental hazards posed by indoor pot growing are likely to continue.