Cops saying it's an Epidemic.

[ReallyRed]

The Canadian Press: Marijuana grow-ops reaching epidemic proportions in Ontario, top cop says

TORONTO — Illegal marijuana cultivation has reached epidemic proportions in Ontario and justice officials in the United States have branded their northern neighbour a "source country," the province's top police official said Wednesday.

Marijuana is exported south and traded for crystal meth and crack cocaine which are then brought back into Canada, provincial police Commissioner Julian Fantino said Wednesday.

"The going terminology is 'brown south, white north,"' Fantino said, adding marijuana is also being exchanged for guns.

"It's a black eye on Canada when you have the United States... refer to us as a source country of marijuana."

Investigating and shutting down marijuana grow-ops make up 60 per cent of the workload of the force's drug enforcement unit, said OPP Insp. Brian Martin.

Cracking down on those operations should help drive down the import of crystal meth and crack cocaine, he said.

"You have to stop the problem at one end and hopefully that product's not coming back in."

Provincial police announced it seized and destroyed more than 118,000 marijuana plants from 220 grow operations, charging 56 people during its annual eight-week marijuana eradication program - up from 10,000 plants from last year.

Over the last five years the force has investigated nearly 2,800 grow-ops. They've also seized more than 2,700 weapons.

An increasing number of suppliers are moving from indoor to outdoor grow-ops, which can produce more plants, police said.

The OPP found one outdoor operation producing 40,000 plants.

There is also an "alarming increase" in the use of loaded weapons, animal traps, armed guards and even illegal immigrants by growers to ward off so-called "pot pirates" and police, they said.

Organized crime is a huge operation with tentacles that reach internationally and its involvement in grow-ops is increasing, said Fantino.

"Organized crime will use whoever and will do whatever (to) achieve their goals and objectives, which is to make these obscene profits illegally."

The "drug subculture" was responsible for what Fantino called an epidemic of very serious crimes, such as robberies, several years ago in Orillia, Ont.

"(Marijuana) is the precursor, if you will, to so much of the violence and other activities... that end up victimizing the most vulnerable communities," he said.

"You know full well what the consequences of what crack does to a neighbourhood, the vulnerability of some of these people in these neighbourhoods, the violence associated with it."

The fight against drugs just isn't about "smoking a little joint here and there."

"It's about the bigger picture... It's a public safety threat, it's an officer safety threat," he said.

Canada is too soft on drug-related criminals, Fantino added.

"Those (criminals) working cross-border, we'd love for them to get indicted into the United States because that's where they're really going to get the business."

While Fantino conceded police are fighting an uphill battle against the grow-ops, and that the battle will never be won, he added things would be much worse if police weren't combating drugs.

Copyright © 2009 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

so, rather than consider legalizing, regulating and taxing, you'd rather just keep on fighting a war you KNOW to be impossible to win?

yeah, there's some logic.

[XxGanjaXXGOD]

yea instead of making money from it,they wanna waste money fighting it.hooray usa

[FreeMJ]

lol

these "officials" are dumbasses.

They say that *illegal* marijuana trafficking is causing more trafficking of meth and coke.

Have they ever considered that if marijuana were legal it would greatly curb the trade of these hard drugs? Every single problem that arises with marijuana stems from its current status of illegality. LEGALIZE IT.>>>

Keeping marijuana illegal is irresponsible, dangerous, and outright stupid.

[daslurk]

Well if California legalizes it there will be no need for there weed then the other border states will have to worry about it.

[chicken]

Originally Posted by FreeMJ

lol

these "officials" are dumbasses.

They say that *illegal* marijuana trafficking is causing more trafficking of meth and coke.

Have they ever considered that if marijuana were legal it would greatly curb the trade of these hard drugs? Every single problem that arises with marijuana stems from its current status of illegality. LEGALIZE IT.>>>

Keeping marijuana illegal is irresponsible, dangerous, and outright stupid.

i agree

[yourHIGHness]

Maybe the spike in grow ops has something to do with the shitty world economy?
HMMMMMM?

Maybe it's just time the gov't should be looking into regulating and taxing like every other "drug" available over the counter.

[tbolg]

Why the hell would they not just legalize, tax, and create revenue and use that increased money to fight the hard drug problems . Fucking politicians are getting paid to re-state bull shit excuses for cannabis related problems . If they did research they would realize they are the problem . Now thats ironic

[morefreedom]

Originally Posted by tbolg

Why the hell would they not just legalize, tax, and create revenue and use that increased money to fight the hard drug problems . Fucking politicians are getting paid to re-state bull shit excuses for cannabis related problems . If they did research they would realize they are the problem . Now thats ironic

Kind of makes you question the validity of politicians that support cannabis criminalization. They have a thought process of a single solution to a problem that most people grow out of after age 5.

[tbolg]

Originally Posted by morefreedom

Kind of makes you question the validity of politicians that support cannabis criminalization. They have a thought process of a single solution to a problem that most people grow out of after age 5.

The crazy thing is how many politicians are against cannabis .it most deffinitly makes me question how politicians remain uneducated about cannabis . They have to have some incentive behind keeping cannabis illegal and my guess is intrest groups including tobacco and pharm. companies paying top $$$$ to keep their political views in check. makes me sick is what it does .

Whats your guess ???

[ChronicBxR]

I loved the part where they said "You have to stop the problem at one end and hopefully that product's not coming back in"

OR

HOW ABOUT YOU STOP THE METH HEADS FROM SUPPLYING US CANADIANS WITH METH? LOL

seriously.

[smokesomebuddha]

cops also say that child molestation is a GREAT alternative to dangerous narcotics like marijuana

[greenbliss]

Originally Posted by ChronicBxR

I loved the part where they said "You have to stop the problem at one end and hopefully that product's not coming back in"

OR

HOW ABOUT YOU STOP THE METH HEADS FROM SUPPLYING US CANADIANS WITH METH? LOL

seriously.

Its kind of in the same family as the gateway drug theory, not the same, but similar ideas. Dont get mad at pot because its causing problems with other bad drugs. Just deal with those other bad drugs.

[morefreedom]

The 1960's argument: Theese damn hippies smoking their devil weed is promotin the degenerates and communism#!$!

has evolved with the times to;

Marajuna is a dangerous illegal substance that promotes violence and rips communities apart.
-----------------------

Everything of course being based on lies, yay for government and stupid people. Ruining lives since 1937.

[Fubar24-7]

Originally Posted by morefreedom

The 1960's argument: Theese damn hippies smoking their devil weed is promotin the degenerates and communism#!$!

has evolved with the times to;

Marajuna is a dangerous illegal substance that promotes violence and rips communities apart.
-----------------------

Everything of course being based on lies, yay for government and stupid people. Ruining lives since 1937.

hahaha

Conservative politicians for you.


9/10 you can sit down in a room with someone who you may not like too much, smoke a blunt, and end up hugging that person by the end of the night.

What gets me the most is why can my very own mother, go to a doctors office and get prescribed to 80mg xanax made from an opium plant, walk to a pharmacy and pick up her prescription, go home and stay fucked up, unable to do anything but sit in her house, But i cant go to a doctor here in atlanta and get prescribed to medicinal marijuana to fix my insomnia, and put something of lesser harm into my body and be judged for it, because its not legal and socially right?....wheres the freedom?

reverend Martin Luther King Jr. "one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws"

ill stand my ground.

go ahead america pop some more pills. ill sit here and enjoy my peace pipe while your are brains getting FUBAR.

[daslurk]

Originally Posted by ChronicBxR

I loved the part where they said "You have to stop the problem at one end and hopefully that product's not coming back in"

OR

HOW ABOUT YOU STOP THE METH HEADS FROM SUPPLYING US CANADIANS WITH METH? LOL

seriously.

Supply and Demand-