Pubdate: Wed, 11 Jan 2006 Source: Province, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2006 The Province Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovince/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476 Author: Lora Grindlay, The Province Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) INFANT TAKEN FROM GROW-OP Police Investigating Home Invasion Find 984 Plants Yet another child living in a marijuana grow-operation has been turned over to child-protection officials. The one-year-old was discovered on Friday in a house in the 21100-block Dewdney Trunk Road in Maple Ridge where Mounties found 984 plants, dried marijuana and growing equipment. Ridge-Meadows RCMP Cpl. Bernie Smandych said the grow-op was discovered when police investigated a home invasion at the house. Police were called when the home invaders broke down the back door. The residents ran out the front door and the home invaders fled before police arrived. Smandych said it's "common" to find kids at grow-ops. She said the child is always turned over to the Ministry of Children and Families. Two other children were seized the same day at a Richmond grow-operation. A three-year-old and a two-year-old were living in the home in the 10300-block Bridgeport Road where police found 600 plants in four rooms. A study released last year by researchers at the University College of the Fraser Valley revealed children were found in one in five grow-ops dismantled by Vancouver police between 1997 and 2003. Darryl Plecas, chairman of the college's department of criminology and criminal justice, said the figures are only available for Vancouver because they kept the best records but: "We have reason to believe it's no different than in any other place." Plecas said grow-ops are very dangerous places for children. The study, which he co-authored, found the average grow-operator has a 13-year criminal history and an average of seven prior convictions. The dangers include the risk of fires due to hydro tampering, the presence of weapons and pesticides and breathing problems associated with mould from condensation. "It's an extremely hazardous situation on a number of fronts," he said. "It's just amazing that thus far a child hasn't been killed. There's so many of these which have fires." Plecas said the courts and child-protection officials have to take the issue of kids in grow-ops seriously, as they would any incident of child endangerment. Mark Sieben, director of regional operations for the Ministry of Children and Families, said no specific statistics are kept on how many kids are taken from grow-ops but said it's not unusual for it to happen. Social workers have to arrange care for the child, either by the ministry or other family members, because the parents are usually arrested, said Sieben. There is also a risk assessment of the family home and the child is only returned if it's to a safe environment, he said. He said the issue of kids in grow-ops isn't "too dissimilar from other circumstances that we become involved in." "It is a big issue and more work is being done specifically on risks to children associated with [grow-ops]." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake