POLICE TO GET LIST OF ALLOWED POT USERS

OTTAWA -- Solicitor General Wayne Easter vowed yesterday to ensure
police officers get the names of Canadians authorized to grow pot so
they're not targeted in drug raids. Easter, who has witnessed
firsthand drug raids at marijuana grow operations, said he was unaware
police were not being provided that information by Health Canada but
insisted he will be "talking to his counterparts" about it.

There are 582 Canadians authorized to have pot for medicinal purposes,
413 of them licensed to grow the weed.

"It's obviously something that we have to find a way to address . . .
it's an issue that is absolutely going to be addressed one way or
another. We've got to respect privacy but . . . we don't want the
overburden on privacy to put at risk someone's life," Easter said.

"I've seen how some of these marijuana grow operations are taken down
and if an individual is provoked and somebody went in guns blazing . .
. then we'd have great difficulties."

RCMP Staff Sgt. Marc Pinault, national co-ordinator of the marijuana
grow operation squad, is pleased Easter is prepared to take action.

"It makes me happy that something might move forward on this," Pinault
said yesterday.