FANS HIGH ON POT BOARD GAME

Players Get to Operate Their Own Grow-Op

Idea Came to Inventor While Serving Jail Term

VANCOUVER--Forget Monopoly, forget Scrabble -- the hot new Christmas gift
in Canada this year is a board game that lets the player run their own
"B.C. Bud" marijuana grow-operation.

It's called The Grow-Op Game.

Creators bill it as an educational board game that highlights the perils
involved in the pot business and cautions would-be growers about the high
stakes.

"You get ratted on by neighbours, hydro cuts you off, you get floods, there
are tons of stuff that is negative about it," said Vancouver-based creator
Ivan Solomon.

"People would think that with grow-ops everyone would like to have one in
their basement, that it's easy money. It's far from being easy."

Solomon said the Monopoly-style game is the brainchild of a young,
20-something reformed pot grow operator, known only as the "Rabbit," to
conceal his identity.

Rabbit and Solomon only brought the idea to fruition about four weeks ago,
but the game has caused a huge stir among consumers eager to play the pot game.

But the Rabbit wanted to show would-be criminals that grasping at fast cash
is not all its cracked up to be.

And who better to share the dire pitfalls of the "weed biz" than the Rabbit
who spent some time in jail for the crime, where, incidentally, he also
came up with the idea.

During his time as a B.C. entrepreneur living his Field of Greens, the
Rabbit experienced floods, fires, fungus, bugs, ceilings collapsing and,
said Solomon, "that inevitable knock on the door from the authorities."

Employees at The Amsterdam Cafe, where you can shop for hemp products, in
the heart of Vancouver's historic Gastown were thrilled to receive the game
because of endless requests for the holiday gift, which gives the player
the thrill-seekers' "high" without getting busted.

An employee at the cafe, who declined to offer a name, said the phone has
been ringing off the hook for the game.

"People are going crazy for it. It's so all of a sudden and I'm sure if
we're able to get more we will."

Players roll the dice, move around the board, renting properties, buying
lights and equipment, plants, and finally harvesting crops from their grow-ops.

Moving in an opposite direction on the cylinder-shaped board is the
"GrowBuster." He lands on the unsuspecting player's property, rips out the
grow operation, and sends the player directly to jail.

"Out of six players, one might get lucky," said Soloman.

Sounds almost like real-life odds.

But before any would-be growers get excited by the seemingly mellow stakes,
Mounties warn the real-life roll of the dice comes with grave consequences.

"I think it's probably based on a hot topic right now which is exploiting a
lot of people's ignorance," said Cpl. Scott Rintoul, spokesperson for the
RCMP Drug Awareness Squad.

Rintoul said it's no secret how much money can be made in the marijuana
industry in Canada.

He's concerned, however, that the game does not illustrate how devastating
the impact of the drug trade can be on the victims of organized crime.

"Do they make drunk driving games? Are they including also about the
murders and assaults? If you want to teach people then teach it that way,
don't just pick on something that is the flavour of the month or whatever,"
he said.

"It's not a game."

But Solomon is adamant the game was developed to teach all the trials and
tribulations of getting involved in something so illegal.

"It doesn't promote the industry. You can teach a lot with humour."

And, according to the game developer, even some police officers have
acknowledged it's all in fun.

"One of the police that obviously heard about this came up to buy one as
their door-prize for their Christmas party," he said.

The game is being marketed online by the Bored Games Corp. and sold at a
few alternative-type stores for $39.95. Solomon hopes, however, the game
will take off and be mainstream by next Christmas.