POLICE TO GET POT GROW LIST

Solicitor general vows authorized users won't have to worry about raids

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," Easter
said.

"We've got to respect privacy but ... we don't want the overburden on
privacy to put at risk someone's life.

"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 has gone nowhere.

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

Health Canada has set up a toll-free number that 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.