UNLIVABLE GROW-OPS DOWN

Health Region IDs 69 Condemned Drug Homes Compared To 93 A Year
Ago

The number of city houses ordered condemned because of damage done by
marijuana grow-ops is down 25% compared to this time last year,
according to numbers compiled by the CHR.

The Calgary Health Region reports on its website illegal drug
operations have rendered 69 homes unlivable so far this year, a figure
that is significantly lower than the number of houses condemned in the
region up to this point last year.

CHR statistics show 93 houses had been condemned this time last
year.

But it's hard to pinpoint what is behind the drop, said Ald. Ric
McIver, a member of the city's police commission.

"You never really know whether it's a matter of less people with
grow-ops or whether less people are getting caught," he said.

"I do hope that all the hard work we're doing to deal with this
problem is pushing these people out of the city.

"But whenever crime goes down, you wonder if crime is really down or
whether more people are getting away with it."

Although he can't say for certain what's behind the falling CHR stats,
McIver said one of the possibilities is those drug elements are moving
their operations into the rural areas, where detection is more difficult.

Hydroponic operations nearly always damage the buildings that house
them to the point of making them uninhabitable, at which point the CHR
moves in and condemns the home.

But the growing of marijuana in city homes goes beyond simply making
homes unlivable, said McIver.

"What we need to get people to understand is that those who smoke
marijuana are not participating in a victimless crime," he said.

"Whenever we hear of shootings in the city and people getting killed,
these are usually people who are fighting for their share of the
marijuana market.

"When people smoke marijuana, they're paying for those bullets being
used in these crimes."