SUMMIT SMOKES OUT POT PROBLEMS

TORONTO -- 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 the two-day Green Tide Summit yesterday
which brings together 65 stakeholder groups, including police, government
officials, real estate agents and hydro representatives, to discuss the
worsening problem of marijuana grow houses.

Kwinter said an illegal grow operation in Toronto recently turned up 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.

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.