CRIME: SOLGEN EYES GROW OPS

B.C. Solicitor General Rich Coleman thinks too many people are growing
marijuana.

Rich Coleman is turning his attention to the proliferation of marijuana
grow operations in B.C.

The Minister for Public Safety and Solicitor General told the B.C.
Legislature Monday morning that he wants to strengthen laws forbidding pot
operations.

"I think it's very important that we look at this not as something that we
should just let slide by but something that we should be concentrating on
very, very much so in the future," said Coleman, who represents Fort
Langley-Aldergrove.

Coleman said that 82 per cent of people in B.C. who are convicted of
running grow operations get away without jail time.

But in Washington State, 48 per cent of grow op managers get five years in
prison or more.

"They're sending a totally different message relative to their acceptance
of this particular activity in their economy: that is, they're not happy
about it," said Coleman. "I believe that in the future we're going to have
to look at laws that are going to allow us in a much more fluid manner to
seize assets of people that want to have illegal activity in our
jurisdiction so that we can send the message that we're not open for this
kind of activity."

Coleman said the increase in grow ops in the Lower Mainland is astonishing.

"In the greater Vancouver area since 1997 we've had a 356 percent increase
in reported grow ops to our police," Coleman said. "British Columbia right
now seems to be the place to grow dope. We're giving them the wrong
environment, because they think they should be doing business here."