COPS TO GET POT-USER LIST

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, told Sun Media he was unaware police were not being
provided that information by Health Canada, but insisted he will be
"talking to his counterparts" about it.

Currently 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, the 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.

"Our ultimate goal is to prevent people from getting
hurt."

Pinault said efforts over many months to convince Health Canada to
hand over a list of names have gone nowhere.

In at least four cases across the country over the last several
months, police have raided marijuana grow operations run by people who
were licensed by the government.

Health Canada has set up a toll-free number police officers can call
during business hours to get the information, but Pinault said that
set-up is useless for officers who get tips in the evening.