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."
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