HARVESTING AN ILLEGAL CROP

A Peak Reporter Rides Along As Police Cull Marijuana Plants Cultivated
North Of Town

Whoever said police work is glamorous hasn't been traipsing through thick
undergrowth on a marijuana hunt with Powell River RCMP.

Wielding heavy-duty garden cutters and a hand-held global positioning
system (GPS), three RCMP members drove out of Powell River to an area just
north of Wild-wood last week with this reporter in tow.

The sun warmed us as we whacked our way through the bush toward a point on
a GPS plotted earlier this year by officers during a helicopter ride of the
area.

"We look for particular growing conditions," explained RCMP Constable Bob
Purslow. Sun exposure and water sources are of prime importance.

Police try to harvest the plants before growers do. Sometimes they succeed,
sometimes they don't.

It's September and the race is on to see who will harvest the marijuana first.

"It's not just us out here," said Purslow. "It's other growers who will try
to harvest these plants too."

At two locations, growers beat police to the plants. Still, during the
course of a four-hour mission, police arrived at most sites ahead of the
growers.

Although no one knows exactly how much marijuana is grown in Powell River,
police believe it is a significant amount. About 50 per cent of marijuana
grown in this area is produced outdoors, with the remaining half grown inside.

The plants are budding early this year, noted Purslow, attributing this to
the hot weather on the Sunshine Coast.

The female plant produces buds to attract pollen from the male plant. As
soon as the female plant is pollinated by a male, her bud produces seeds.
If there are no male plants around, the female plant produces bigger buds
as she continues to try to attract a male.

And it's this bud that growers want. The more bud there is, the more
valuable the plant, he explained.

"I've seen bud on some plants as big as my arm," said Purslow.

Marijuana comes in many different varieties, but even the novice can spot
the unique colouring of the area's infamous Time Warp. The purplish leaves
on this short, stocky plant are unmistakable.

Pointing to a discovery of several plants, Purslow said the THC
(tetrahydrocannabinol) content is much stronger today than it was 20 years
ago. And it's the THC that gets people high.

"We're seeing THC levels in the high teens to early 20 percentages," said
RCMP Constable Gurmakh Parmar. "It used to be in the single-digit figures."

The pungent smell of pot is unique, and it's overwhelming odour made me
feel lightheaded as I followed an officer laden with plants out of the bush.

"We're not finished yet," said Parmar grimly during a short water break.

Soaked in sweat and covered in scratches from blackberry vines, we carried
on. "How much do you find?" I asked the team.

Constable Mike Thom, a seasoned veteran with 15 years in Powell River, has
been on many expeditions similar this one.

"We're very lucky if we find 30 per cent of it. And that's a good year," he
said.

Most of the marijuana growing in the bush isn't for personal consumption.

"This is BC bud that is going across the border and coming back as cocaine
and crack," said Purslow.

A plant is worth about $1,000 on average, depending on its size and the
amount of bud on it.

Marijuana is still illegal in Canada despite a recent provincial court
ruling to the contrary for simple possession.

"If I see anyone with any amount of marijuana I'll be seizing it. It's
still a controlled substance under the Controlled Drugs and Substances
Act," said Purslow, pointing to the federal statute. However, it is up to
federal Crown to approve charges.

Police seized 140 plants from one area so far this year. They also took 200
plants from a greenhouse operation in the Lund area a few weeks ago.

By the end of my assignment, 60 plants were stowed in the vehicle. That's
$60,000 worth of dope-give or take a few grand either way-that police have
prevented from hitting the streets.