'NO SHORTAGE OF WORK' FOR GREEN TEAM

Police investigations into marijuana production, clandestine drug
laboratories and trafficking in illegal substances cost Langley taxpayers
hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

But if the two Langley councils accept a proposal by the local RCMP
detachment, local taxpayers could be spared the rising financial burden of
drug law enforcement.

The proposal, said media liaison officer Cpl. Dale Carr, would make drug
investigation expenses "cost neutral" by charging them to the owner of a
property on which the illegal drug activity took place.

"It's very effective in Surrey, where it has been in place for years," Carr
said.

Meanwhile, Carr said that the detachment shares the view of MP Randy White
on low fines for possessing three or fewer pot plants.

"A fine is a step in the right direction, but the downside is that it seems
that by decriminalizing, it's almost condoning and encouraging an increase
in usage of drugs," Carr said.

Carr said that investigations into illegal drug operations are so intense
that the moment a file is concluded, another is opened.

"Our green team works on investigations on a daily basis," Carr said. "They
are constantly working. There is no shortage of work."

Noting White's criticism that Bill C-10, which amends the Controlled Drugs
and Substances Act, offers nothing new to help police crack down on grow
houses, Carr said: "It would be ideal to have more manpower. We could
probably double the size of our green team and still have lots of work for
them."

Another major concern for White and the police is the absence of measures
to deal with the increasing toxicity of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the
primary intoxicant in marijuana.

Carr said it is imperative to have laws in place so that police can deal
with motorists who drive while impaired by drugs.

"The problem is that we have nothing in place to compel an individual to
comply with sobriety tests where police suspect impairment by drugs," he
said. These tests would be similar to the breathalyzer, which measures the
level of alcohol in a person's blood.

A test for drugs differs from the breathalyzer in that it would likely
require a suspect to give a fluid sample, such as blood or urine, Carr said.