Pubdate: Fri, 13 Jan 2006 Source: Richmond News (CN BC) Copyright: 2006, Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc. Contact: http://www.richmond-news.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1244 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) DON'T RAISE KIDS IN A DRUG HOUSE Question: What kind of a mother would bring her children up in a pot factory? Answer: One who doesn't deserve to have kids. That may seem like a harsh indictment of the Richmond woman who earlier this week was arrested in connection with a marijuana grow operation on Bridgeport Road that became targeted by grow rippers. But when one considers the risks associated with drug houses, any parent who would bring her children up in one is, in our view, unfit to care for children. First, there are the environmental and health risks associated with growing pot. Power sources are usually rerouted in grow-ops, which pose serious fire hazards. The heat and moisture in grow-ops can cause mould and mildew to flourish, which cannot be good for small children. But more importantly - as Wen Yan Wu found out to her horror earlier this week - grow-ops are frequently the targets of home invasions. What parent in their right mind would subject their kids to that kind of risk? We should point out that Wu has only been charged so far in association with the grow operation. She has not yet been found guilty. But authorities have found it necessary to take her children, aged two and three, into custody. In some cases, operators of grow-ops are desperate for money. Many of those who tend grow-ops don't own their properties. That's not the case here. Wu owns the house that contained the grow-op, and it's no shack. So we're not buying any pleas of poverty that might be made. There really is no excuse for subjecting children to the dangers of a drug house. Her only excuse may be that, in Canada, she thought running a drug house really isn't a serious crime. Sadly, judging by the courts, she would be right. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom