Pubdate: Mon, 09 Mar 2015
Source: Metro (Vancouver, CN BC)
Copyright: 2015 Metro Canada
Contact:  http://www.metronews.ca/vancouver
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3775
Author: Neal Hall
Page: A1
Cited: http://johnconroy.com/mmar.htm

FIRE CHIEFS CLASH OVER GROW-OP RISK

Court: Case challenging medical marijuana laws set to hear from two 
experts on whether residential grow-ops are more vulnerable to fire

Surrey's fire chief has a "cultural confirmation bias" against
licensed marijuana grow-ops, which is why he wrongly concludes they
are more dangerous than regular residences, an expert witness will
testify in a Vancouver court case.

Surrey fire Chief Len Garis, an expert witness for the federal
government in a constitutional challenge of Canada's medical marijuana
laws, has concluded there was a higher incidence of fires at homes
with both illicit and legal marijuana grow-ops.

Garis will be called as a witness Monday when the case resumes in
Federal Court in Vancouver.

John Conroy, the lawyer representing four people who have licences to
grow medical marijuana, plans to call another fire expert to rebut
Garis's evidence.

In an affidavit filed in court, Tom Moen, who is the fire captain and
battalion chief of Fort McMurray, Alta., states that Garis has a
"cultural confirmation bias" against marijuana grow-ops so he only
sees evidence to confirm that homes with grow-ops have a higher
incidence of fire.

A fire might have started as a result of low-income residents doing
renovations that don't comply with fire or building codes, or because
a house is old, Moen said.

Moen maintains homes with authorized medical marijuana grow sites have
the same level of fire risk as other residences - 0.24 per cent.
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MAP posted-by: Matt