Pubdate: Fri, 05 Mar 2004 Source: Toronto Sun (CN ON) Copyright: 2004, Canoe Limited Partnership. Contact: http://www.canoe.com/NewsStand/TorontoSun/home.html Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/457 Author: Antonella Artuso, Queen's Park Bureau Chief Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) WAR ON POT GROWERS HEATS UP Cops, Officials Meet To Cultivate Strategies Finding six children sleeping on urine-stained mattresses on the floor was one of the more unpleasant discoveries for police officers who've busted illegal pot operations in Ontario, says Community Safety Minister Monte Kwinter. Kwinter kicked off a two-day Green Tide Summit yesterday, bringing together 65 stakeholder groups including police, government officials, real estate agents and hydro representatives to discuss the worsening problem. Kwinter said an illegal grow operation busted recently in York Region had six kids living in squalor, part of an estimated 10,000 children exposed to grow houses, according to one police report. "Try to imagine what life was like for these kids. Think about the hazards which they may have been exposed to," said Kwinter, listing chemicals, fire and violence as potential threats. The goal of the summit, organized by the Ontario government and the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, is to create a cohesive strategy to combat what police say is a rapidly expanding criminal activity in the province. NDP MPP Peter Kormos said there are already many laws on the books, including child-protection laws, to respond to problems associated with grow operations. "The conference is somewhat redundant," Kormos said. Asked if legalizing pot would solve the problem, Kwinter said most of the marijuana grown in Ontario is headed for the U.S. market, where it's illegal. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom