Pubdate: Wed, 14 Aug 2002 Source: 100 Mile House Free Press (CN BC) Copyright: 2002 100 Mile House Free Press Contact: http://www.100milefreepress.net/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2143 Author: Arlene Jongbloets Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) MARKET TEMPTS RENTERS TO CREATE GROW-OPS 'It Proves Again, How Little Power We, As Landlords, Have.' Randi Dewhirst, 100 Mile House resident, and owner of a rental property in the Chilliwack area, knows all too well difficulties landlords may face these days, with strict landlord"tenant rules regulating the eviction process and owner access to their rented property. As she spent a week disposing of pot plants and other evidence of illegal horticulture in her rental, she came to realize how the present system enhances the possibility of rented homes being turned into marijuana grow operations. Dewhirst's Fraser Valley home is the one she and her husband lovingly shared for 16 years, and one that holds many memories for her. For the third time in as many years, she has faced the expense and aggravation of cleaning up her rental after tenants had used it for the purpose of growing pot. The cleaning and repair bill topped out at $2,700, a claim that her insurance company won't touch, as it was a result of a grow-op. She considers herself lucky this time, as it's not uncommon for costs to go as high as $20,000 to $30,000, after rot and mold has found its way into interior walls. Dewhirst found evidence of a drug processing area in the basement and damage in the garage, that appeared to have served as the grow room. 'It's not just the damage from the growing that's the problem,' she said. 'These people just don't care about the house. My place was so filthy from grease and dirt that when you flipped a light switch, you couldn't tell whether the bulb was lit or not.' Dewhirst was alerted to a possibility of there being something suspicious with her tenants when a Valley landscape contractor phoned and asked if she'd like her knee high grass cut. Soon after, the tenants unexpectedly abandoned the house, just two days after paying the next month's rent. 'It's just typical,' she said. The popularity and demand for B.C.'s reported high-grade weed has served as enough temptation to lure a record number of people into the lucrative, but illegal trade. According to Dewhirst, there has been a reported 300 per cent raise in the establishment of grow-ops in Chilliwack within the last 12 months, with most popping up in rental homes. - --- MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager