Pubdate: Fri, 07 Apr 2006 Source: Langley Advance (CN BC) Copyright: 2006 Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc. Contact: http://www.langleyadvance.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1248 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) STANDARDS GROWING UP The provincial government has changed the Safety Standards Act to help local police forces crack down on marijuana growers. Under the changes announced by Fort Langley-Aldergrove MLA Rich Coleman, who serves as the Minister Responsible for Housing, electricity companies will now be required to give municipalities information about homes with unusual power consumption, something police forces have been asking for for some time. That was impossible due to the Privacy Act - until now. "The number of grow-ops in our province is increasing, and so are the problems associated with those operations," said Coleman. He listed the flammability of the grow-ops, the frequency at which guns are found, and the likelihood of the buildings being robbed as the major problems. "They pose a danger to our neighbourhoods, and we're determined to shut them down," Coleman said. Most marijuana grow operations use large amounts of electricity to power the electrical lights that fuel the growth of the pot. However, many growers bypass the electrical meters on homes, effectively stealing electricity. The changes will help law enforcement officers to do their job. They should take some of the heat off firefighters. Landlords will have less to worry about, if the number of house-destroying grow-ops is reduced. And neighbours may be able to sleep a little easier. Coleman's announcement, made Thursday, should herald a welcome change for nearly everyone affected by grow-ops - except the crooks, that is. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman