GROW OPS THREATEN ALL OF US

Many supporters of the decriminalization or legalization of marijuana
are beside themselves.

They're desperate to sever any linkage in the public's mind between
the fact that James Roszko ran a marijuana grow op on his farm and the
fact he murdered four RCMP constables.

So too, are the federal Liberals, after initially highlighting the
connection themselves and promising to look at toughening their
proposed laws to punish grow op operators.

It's finally occurred to the Liberals that promising tougher sentences
for grow op operators while decriminalizing possession of the product
they sell sends out a contradictory message.

One that looks particularly awful at a time when four policemen have
just been gunned down by a grow op operator.

As for the breathtaking flip flop by RCMP Commissioner Giuliano
Zaccardelli, who initially denounced grow ops as a scourge on police
and public safety in the wake of the murders, and now says he
shouldn't have spoken out because he didn't have all the facts, we're
at a loss to know what to think.

We hope he's not reacting to pressure from the Liberal government to
tone down his remarks about grow ops in the same way some prominent
Liberals have been toning down theirs.

In any event, the threat to public safety posed by grow ops doesn't
hinge on the fact Roszko operated one.

Perhaps these murders had more do with the fact our lax justice system
was totally incapable of dealing with a violent, gun-toting maniac
like Roszko who intimidated witnesses. Perhaps the ineffectiveness of
the gun registry is more to blame, since Roszko clearly never had any
problems obtaining all the firepower he needed, despite his criminal
past.

None of that changes the danger posed by grow ops. After the murders,
Zaccardelli said: "The issue of grow ops is not a ma and pa industry
as we have been saying for a number of years (our italics). They are a
major, serious threat to our society and ... to the men and women on
the frontline who have to deal with them."

Nothing in that statement depends for its accuracy on making a
connection between the fact Roszko was a cop killer as well as a grow
op operator. Police have been warning for years that most grow ops are
run by hardened criminals, often in organized gangs. Right now in
Barrie there's an ongoing murder trial in which the Crown argues the
killings were linked to a grow op.

As for those who argue that all these problems would disappear if
marijuana was legalized , give your heads a shake.

Even if Canada legalized marijuana, grow ops here would remain a
hugely lucrative business for organized crime given our proximity to
the U.S., which has no intention of decriminalizing or legalizing pot.
The reality is that grow ops will continue to be a huge public safety
issue, no matter what our pot laws say.