Pubdate: Thu, 18 Sep 2008 Source: Beacon Herald, The (CN ON) Copyright: 2008 Osprey Media Group Inc. Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/ytFEC49J Website: http://www.stratfordbeaconherald.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1459 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?216 (CN Police) POLICE HARVEST MARIJUANA Police swarmed area cornfields Wednesday, seizing more than $400,000 worth of marijuana destined for the streets of Oxford County. Officers with Oxford Community Police Service hauled out armfuls of plants that were nestled among nine-foot cornstalks in fields across Norwich Township. More than 400 plants, some as tall as 2.1 metres, were chopped down. Acting Det. Sgt. Greg Fletcher of the drug unit said this year's crop is "very healthy" compared to last year's, which died off from the drought. "The harvest, if it were left, would produce a major amount of marijuana in the area," Fletcher said. He added the plants would be maturing within the next week. This is the last week for their eradication program. The bundles of fresh marijuana, which emanated a strong odour, were thrown into a trailer for later disposal. "The farmer had no idea," said Const. Laurie-Anne Maitland, who was helping pull plants from a property on Milldale Road. She added that 90 per cent of farmers don't know it's there. Many people believe marijuana is a "soft drug", Maitland said but they are sorely mistaken. "No drug is harmless," she said. "You don't just start shooting heroin in your arm, you start with marijuana." Many of the outdoor grows targeted this week were found through aerial searches with the RCMP. Individual locations were marked with GPS and digital photography. "The eradication has been successful over the years," Fletcher said. "But with the townships voting to go with the OPP, this will be the last year the OCPS will be involved in eradication in the townships." A joint program with the RCMP and other police services wrapped up last week, seizing $5-million worth of marijuana plants across Oxford, Middlesex and Lambton counties. Of the 5,000 plants seized, 1,700 were from Oxford County. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin