OUTDOOR GROW OPS TARGETED

The annual marijuana eradication campaign has begun on Vancouver Island,
and police have already spotted a number of pot patches in the Oceanside area.

Island District Drug Section spokesperson Constable Beth Blackburn says the
campaign began on Tuesday, with a dozen RCMP officers working with members
of the Canadian military to destroy outdoor marijuana grow shows on
Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.

Drug enforcement officers are using two RCMP and three military Griffon
helicopters to locate and eradicate pot plots.

She says the outdoor marijuana eradication forms an important part of the
effort to reduce the supply of marijuana on the streets.

When asked if there is a particular hot spot on Vancouver Island for pot
growing, Blackburn laughs. "Vancouver Island," she says. "The Gulf Islands.
Anything with 'Island' in the name.

However, she says officers were in the air Tuesday in the Oceanside area
and their time was not wasted.

"We identified some plots in the Oceanside area and we will be working in
this area for sure. I was out this morning with the guys and they were
definitely hard at it when I left.

Blackburn stresses that the team will be calling on members from local
detachments for assistance during the campaign, which she says should
stretch on until at least the end of the month.

"It depends on how long it takes us to run out of time we're able to work
with the military," she says. "I don't anticipate it going into September,
but it could."

The campaign, Blackburn says marijuana is harmful to health of users,
containing more than 400 chemicals. As well, she has environmental concerns.

"In previous years RCMP have noted the harmful impact on the environment by
marijuana plots," she says. "Water sources such as streams have been
diverted from their natural flow, chemicals to optimize the plants' growth
are used and are bled into our soil and watershed, and garbage left behind
after the crop is harvested is a concern to our environment."