POT GROWERS HAVE LITTLE TO FEAR IN B.C.

It's No Surprise To Those Behind Ucfv Study Why Chilliwack Has Become A
Haven For Drug Trade

One of the major reasons Chilliwack has become a marijuana grow op centre
is because criminals believe they can get away with it.

That's according to Darryl Plecas, one of the co-authors of a
groundbreaking University College of the Fraser Valley study that tracks
marijuana grow ops busted by RCMP and police forces across B.C. That study
found that Chilliwack is the number two spot in the province for grow ops,
relative to population, behind Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, which has the
dubious honour of first place. In Canada, B.C. takes first place with 44
per cent of all marijuana cultivation incidents reported to Statistics
Canada by police during 2000.

The study found 177 marijuana cultivation files were opened at the
Chilliwack detachment in 2000-a 200 per cent increase in four years. That
doesn't include all the grow ops that remain undetected, which Plecas
estimates at four times that number.

"Otherwise, why would anybody be in business if they were all getting
busted?" Plecas asked.

Not only are there more grow ops in Chilliwack than other communities, grow
ops here tend to be larger than others in the province and produce a higher
yield per crop, Plecas said.

"I guess they are good farmers out there," he said.

Marijuana in "Columbia North" generally has seven times higher THC content,
the drug that gets people high, than marijuana did in the 60s and 70s.

"B.C. bud is considered to be the best in the world," Plecas said.

That doesn't mean we smoke all of it. The 1.2 million plants and 8,646
kilograms of harvested material police seized in four years between January
1997 and December 2000 would be more than the local population could
possibly use.

What this indicates is organized criminal activity, Plecas said, even
though there is little evidence of trafficking activity-a fact that Plecas
said he finds odd.

"Throw the book at these people," Plecas said. "That will make it go away.
That's why there are no grows in Alberta or Whatcom County. It's pretty
basic psychology. If somebody's not being punished for a history of bad
behaviour, why wouldn't it continue?"

Part of the problem is that police forces are overwhelmed. Police are not
taking down grow ops proactively. They're struggling to keep up to tips, he
said.

The trouble doesn't stop there. The study found that the Crown stays 65 per
cent of charges on grow ops, plea bargaining both charges and suspects.
Plecas said he is not a fan of that philosophy, although he understands
that the Crown's objective is a successful prosecution.

"The disturbing thing, I think is the whole sentencing. They get a slap on
the wrist despite the fact they have multiple convictions," he said.

Growing pot is like having a licence to print money. The average grow op
busted has 192 plants (247 in Chilliwack) at an estimated value of $130,000
(about 25 per cent more in Chilliwack). That's tax-free money that is
generated with very little investment in about three months. Growers don't
even have to pay for electricity because they steal it.

"The penalties ought to outweigh the benefit," Plecas said.

Another surprising trend the UCFV study uncovered is that 50 per cent of
the suspects in Chilliwack grow ops (fewer in other communities) are
Vietnamese. They come here from Ontario at twice the rate of non-Vietnamese
suspects, Plecas said. Many have extensive criminal records, including
violent offenses.

"Obviously not all Vietnamese people are anywhere near this collection,"
Plecas said.