POLICE URGE FEDS TO GET OFF THE POT

Criminals are getting off too easy as neighbourhoods across Canada are
endangered by huge secret pot growing operations, police groups charged
yesterday.

And the Liberal government's possible decriminalization of marijuana will
only make things worse, charged David Griffin, executive director of the
Canadian Police Association.

Griffin and others called on the federal government to beef up the Criminal
Code and impose jail time for those convicted of turning 50,000 Canadian
homes into marijuana "grow houses."

The operations, which often generate up to $500,000 worth of marijuana per
house each year, are mainly controlled by crime gangs and much of the
marijuana is smuggled into the United States.

"We'd like to see some minimum sentences to give judges direction that this
is a serious crime," Griffin said.

If Justice Minister Martin Cauchon follows through and actually
decriminalizes pot, that would further dilute the seriousness of the
offence of running a grow house, Griffin argued.

The calls for action came just days after a series of police raids across
Canada netted more than 73,000 plants valued at $73 million.

STIFFER SENTENCES

"It's quite discouraging for law enforcement when we are seeing conditional
sentences and even fines," said Sgt. Mike Laviolette, an Ottawa police
officer seconded to the Criminal Intelligence Service of Canada.

Det. Mike Klimm of York Regional Police said sentences for possession for
the purpose of trafficking and production of a controlled substance run
between seven and 15 years in the United States.

"Up until recently, in Ontario we were getting conditional sentences like
house arrest. We're now starting to see real jail terms from nine months to
a year for a first offence," Klimm said.