Pubdate: Thu, 10 Jul 2008 Source: Orangeville Citizen (CN ON) Copyright: 2008 Orangeville Citizen Contact: http://www.citizen.on.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2529 Author: Dan Pelton Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) SECLUDED AREAS IN DANGER OF GOING TO POT As everyone knows, the agricultural sector is a vital factor in the economy of Dufferin County. One particular area of farming is quite lucrative but doesn't contribute to the tax base and is a cause for perennial consternation. Police say outdoor marijuana grow operations are becoming more common in the secluded areas around the county. So much so, that they were a topic at a recent Town of Mono council meeting. When OPP Sergeant Steve Sills was presenting the force's annual report on the force's activities in Mono, Councillor Jean Castel spoke of an incident where his wife and her friend were taking a stroll along the Fourth Line. It turned into an unnerving experience when a pickup truck passed them five times and the driver, a stranger to them, was scrutinizing them in a lessthan friendly manner. There have also been reports of people hiking in the woods, only to come upon a "No Trespassing" sign. They had a right to be confused since the sign was on their own property and they hadn't put it there. Sgt. Sills ventured that the driver checking out Ms. Castel could be among "people coming up from the city and growing their own marijuana on other people's property." He also said the OPP is involved in a "visibility campaign" to help officers and the public deal with the problem. In a recent release, the OPP pointed out that marijuana growers look for the following areas: swamps, corn fields, wooded areas, along rivers and rural rental properties with large acreage. Once an area is located, growers will bring to the area large bags of fertilizer, shovels, chemicals, pails and, of course, the marijuana plants. The plants are planted and maintained by the growers over the next five months while they mature. Due to the heartiness of the marijuana plant, they only have to be tended to approximately once every two weeks. In late September or early October, the growers return to harvest their plants, leaving the root of the plant behind. For those unfamiliar with the plants, they are bright green in colour and the leaves have seven jagged fingers. They grow to between three and five feet in height and give off an odour that resembles vegetation that has just been sprayed by a skunk. Common indicators that a 'grow op' may be in your neighbourhood: abandoned vehicles parked on side roads or trails; people observed walking in remote areas for no apparent reason; bags of fertilizer, planting trays or chemicals located in remote areas; well trampled trails in wooded or swamp areas, and clearedout areas in swamps, wooded areas or corn fields. If someone suspects such an operation is taking place, he or she is asked to not intervene, but to contact police with pertinent information, such as licence plate numbers. Call your local OPP drug force member or the Drug Enforcement Section at (705) 735-4750 (an after-hours name and number is provided) or Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222- TIPS. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom