'TOBA POT IRKS U.S. AGENCY

NDPer Wants Crackdown

For the second straight year, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency is
reporting that Manitoba's many grow ops are causing them headaches.

"Canadian drug organizations from Vancouver and Manitoba use the wide
North Dakota border with Canada to bring these types of marijuana
(hydroponically grown and B.C. Bud) into the United States; the bulk
of the marijuana is destined to areas outside North Dakota," the U.S.
DEA stated in a fact sheet.

Tory justice critic Kelvin Goertzen said there needs to be more cops
in Winnipeg and rural Manitoba to bust hydroponic grow ops and stop
the drugs from flowing to consumers in Manitoba and across the border.

"I suspect we're just scratching the surface and getting the very tip
of the iceberg of the marijuana that is being grown," said Goertzen.

He also doubts the mass quantity of pot produced in Manitoba soil is
smoked by people in the province.

He believes the bulk of it is transported to lucrative markets across
the border, into North Dakota and distributed throughout many states.

"There's no way that all the marijuana being grown in the province is
being used here," said Goertzen.

Justice Minister Gord Mackintosh is hopeful a nationwide crackdown on
drug traffickers will occur under the new government in Ottawa.

"Certainly there's a concentrated effort (among Manitoba law
enforcers) to deal with this but it could benefit greatly by a strong
drug strategy that is national in scope," said Mackintosh.