Pubdate: Wed, 10 Jan 2001 Source: Saanich News (CN BC) Website: http://www.saanichnews.com Address: 818 Broughton Street, Victoria, BC, Canada, V8W 1E4 Contact: 250-386-2624 RECRUITS FOR WAR ON DRUG MAKERS There's at least one crime Saanich police are hoping to nip in the bud in 2001. Saanich Police Department admits that marijuana grow operations have reached almost epidemic proportions, but they have a new weapon in their war against drug production. The department is flipping the bill for two full-time officers to dedicate their time exclusively to combating grow and synthetic drug manufacturing operations. Besides the obvious, there are other ways that illicit drugs do harm, says Saanich deputy police chief Jim Bland. Grow operations result in thousands of dollars of damage to homes. Synthetic drug manufacturers use dangerous chemicals that can often be highly explosive and corrosive. The drug producers damage the environment when they pour these substances down their drains. The drains in the home of one synthetic drug manufacturer had to be replaced three times after they were destroyed by chemicals that go into synthetic drugs, so, says Bland, "You can imagine what that is doing to the water tables around here." - --- MAP posted-by: Don Beck