Plainsman1963

B.C. grow-op tips have slowed, RCMP report says
07-14-2008 | TheGlobeandMail.Com | Robert Matas

British Columbia's reputation as the cannabis capital of North America may be quickly fading.

Tips and calls to police from the public about marijuana growing operations have declined significantly since mid-2003, according to an RCMP report compiled in response to a request from The Globe and Mail.

Marc Emery, Canada's so-called Prince of Pot, was not surprised.

"We're seeing a slight reduction in what is coming out of the Lower Mainland," Mr. Emery said yesterday in an interview, referring to the Greater Vancouver to Chilliwack corridor.

B.C.'s marijuana crop has been estimated to be worth as much as $6-billion, although no official statistics have ever been compiled. Mr. Emery, a highly successful marijuana seed vendor and outspoken advocate for legalization of the drug, currently faces a bid to have him extradited to the U.S. on charges of selling seeds on the Internet and sending them through the U.S. mail.

Mr. Emery identified three factors leading to the recent drop in grow-ops in B.C.: effective police enforcement has increased the risks; a strong Canadian dollar has made exports less profitable; and a downturn in the U.S. economy has led to many Americans trying their hands as suppliers.

Many people have started growing marijuana crops in U.S. National Forests throughout the western states, Mr. Emery said. Also, homeowners hurt by the mortgage crisis and laid-off workers desperate to keep their homes are converting a basement or spare room into something that can make them money. In many instances, they are turning to growing marijuana, he said.

A homeowner with only two high-intensity grow-lights can probably earn as much as $20,000 a year with minimal risk, Mr. Emery said. "It certainly is enough to tide people over, no problem, and two lights are not going to get you into trouble either. So it is a nice, modest-size grow [operation] that you can probably get away with."

Statistics compiled by the RCMP in response to a request from The Globe and Mail show that the RCMP "E" division, which covers most of B.C., received 44,211 calls and tips reporting grow-ops from January, 1998, to December, 2007. About half of the calls came to RCMP detachments in the Lower Mainland.

The number of calls to RCMP detachments across the province peaked in September, 2003, at 615. By December, 2007, the RCMP received only 207 calls, the same number as in June, 1998.

Staff Sergeant Dave Goddard of the Greater Vancouver RCMP drug section was hesitant to confirm that the number of marijuana growing operations in B.C. had actually dropped. The statistics only show that reports to police have decreased, he said.

Public attention to marijuana growing operations may have been diverted. Synthetic chemical labs that produce drugs such as ecstasy attract more attention, he said.

Police resources that were previously dedicated to investigating marijuana growing operations have been shifted to other areas, Staff Sgt. Goddard also said. The RCMP drug section for Greater Vancouver, which once employed more than 100 people, now has around 60.

Police continue to work hard to dismantle the marijuana growing operations, despite the reduced number of investigators, he also said. Even with fewer calls and tips coming in, "we probably get more calls than we can handle," Staff Sgt. Goddard said, adding that he did not anticipate a decline in marijuana growing operations.

Vancouver mayoral contender Gregor Robertson said yesterday a regional police force across Greater Vancouver would be more effective in responding to marijuana growing operations and related crime. The city of Vancouver has its own police force, although several other neighbouring municipalities such as Surrey and Burnaby rely on the RCMP.

Mr. Robertson also said he would like to see the federal government legalize and tax marijuana.

However until the law is changed, Vancouver police should have more resources to "go after the grow-ops," he said. "There does need to be a real crackdown on grow ops and organized crime," Mr. Robertson said, "and police need resources and better co-ordination to do that."

The police have not been given the staffing they have asked for and require to do the job, he said. "Even though numbers are trending downward on grow-ops, they [the police] still clearly state they are not keeping up, they cannot serve the number of calls they get," Mr. Robertson said.

Vancouver city councillor Peter Ladner, who is also running for mayor, was not available for comment yesterday.