CHILDREN WHO CALL GROW OPS HOME AT RISK

The Shuswap's economy is based on tourism, agriculture and forestry.
But anyone who lives here knows there is another big industry cropping
up all over - illegal marijuana growing operations.

Police raids on various residences in rural areas surrounding Salmon
Arm and also within city boundaries are frequent.

The industry is doing a booming business and law enforcement is
hard-pressed to keep enforcing the law.

There's a whole host of problems that come along with marijuana
growing operations including the theft of hydro, which hurts rates for
everyone, and the risk of fires. Salmon Arm has seen a few house fires
in recent years which housed grow operations, and rural areas have
also dealt with a number of large blazes stemming from the drug grows
inside homes, barns or bunkers.

But there is another element about illegal drug growing operations
which causes concern. These operations do not run by themselves. There
are people behind at each of those plants. Some may be taking the risk
entirely on their own; however, sometimes there are innocent victims -
children living in these homes. Children living in grow-ops can be
exposed to chemicals, electrical fires and mould. It is clearly not a
healthy environment. The Alberta government has taken the lead and
recently laid the first charges against parents whose children were
allegedly found living in homes with marijuana grow operations. Called
the Drug Endangered Children Act, it allows police to immediately
remove children from homes where drugs are sold or produced. A current
case involves charges against the parents of a four-year-old and an
18-month-old.

The cases have not yet been dealt with by the courts, but it is our
hope that judges will recognize the potential harm that could come to
innocent children living in those conditions and will apply penalties
that include a $25,000 fine, two years in jail or both.

While the Shuswap has not seen a flood of these situations, tools
should be in place to deal quickly and effectively should a child be
found in a grow-op. We encourage our own provincial government to
create similar legislation.

Exposing a child to a drug-growing environment deserves to be a
criminal offence on its own, with separate and severe punishments to
those parents who endanger the lives of their offspring in such an
obvious way.