WAR ON POT GROWERS HEATS UP

Cops, Officials Meet To Cultivate Strategies

Finding six children sleeping on urine-stained mattresses on the floor was
one of the more unpleasant discoveries for police officers who've busted
illegal pot operations in Ontario, says Community Safety Minister Monte
Kwinter. Kwinter kicked off a two-day Green Tide Summit yesterday, bringing
together 65 stakeholder groups including police, government officials, real
estate agents and hydro representatives to discuss the worsening problem.

Kwinter said an illegal grow operation busted recently in York Region had
six kids living in squalor, part of an estimated 10,000 children exposed to
grow houses, according to one police report.

"Try to imagine what life was like for these kids. Think about the hazards
which they may have been exposed to," said Kwinter, listing chemicals, fire
and violence as potential threats.

The goal of the summit, organized by the Ontario government and the Ontario
Association of Chiefs of Police, is to create a cohesive strategy to combat
what police say is a rapidly expanding criminal activity in the province.

NDP MPP Peter Kormos said there are already many laws on the books,
including child-protection laws, to respond to problems associated with
grow operations.

"The conference is somewhat redundant," Kormos said.

Asked if legalizing pot would solve the problem, Kwinter said most of the
marijuana grown in Ontario is headed for the U.S. market, where it's illegal.