THE HIGH COST OF MARIJUANA

Each week we read about some 'grow-op' being raided in Vancouver or
Surrey, or some other big city neighbourhood. Less often we read in
our local papers about the same bust happening in our own
neighbourhoods. Rest assured that fewer busts are the result of
smaller overall population, not fewer grow-ops per capita. In our
small communities, we are no less likely to come to grips with the
problems arising out of the cultivation of illegal crops.

How big a problem are marijuana growing operations? According to a
study published earlier this year by the University College of the
Fraser Valley (UCFV), between 1997 and 2000, "the number of individual
incidents of marihuana grow operations increased by over 220 per
cent." Though the numbers levelled off after 2003, production did not:
"the amount of marijuana produced each year in British Columbia is
estimated to have increased from 19,729 kilos in 1997 to a seven year
high of 79,817 in 2003."

Another valuable comparison comes from Statistics Canada who found
that the rate of grow operations averages 27 per 100,000 population in
Canada; and in BC, the number is 79!

Some will argue that this 'cash crop' is a boon to local economies
because it generates millions of dollars of revenue for growers who,
in turn, spend some of it locally. Let us accept that for the moment.
But what are the associated costs to our society? To our
communities?

Grow-ops mostly come in two forms. There is the small-scale, sometimes
considered a "mom-and-pop" operation that is mostly engaged in
cultivation for personal use, and perhaps some small profit on the
street. The small operation is not generally linked to organized crime
groups.

"Commercial operations" exist at the other extreme and are typically
highly organized, sophisticated and connected to organized crime.
These operations are there purely for profit -- and they will act to
guard their source of revenue. Whether small or commercial, many of
these grow-ops protect their crops. The UCFV study lists "other
hazards" found in grow-ops: weapons, booby traps, explosives, chemical
products, other drugs, and fire. Among the dangers, fire was one of
the most common as grow-ops have much higher incidence rates.

What about other costs to our communities? Leaving aside the obvious
ones like smoking and encouraging people to use marijuana, we can
identify many other negative results from these operations, including
the "mom-and-pop" ones, by the way.

We will want to include the danger from electrical by-passes, damages
to rented homes, and firearms and other weapons used to defend against
"grow-op rip-offs." As if these were not enough, we must add in the
pollution from wastes generated by the operations. These include
chemicals (fertilizers, ph-adjusters, bleach, pesticides, herbicides,
fungicides) going down the drain, and all manners of plastics and
equipment tossed into landfills (if we are lucky) or left out "in the
bush." In other words, while there may be some short-term fiscal
benefit to grow-op money circulating in the economy, the social and
community costs of growing marijuana far outweigh the miniscule
benefits that might be claimed. As difficult as it is to measure many
of these things, at least we can encourage some dialogue in our
communities over these issues.