Pubdate: Sun, 05 Apr 2015 Source: Edmonton Sun (CN AB) Copyright: 2015 Canoe Limited Partnership. Contact: http://www.edmontonsun.com/letter-to-editor Website: http://www.edmontonsun.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/135 Author: Kevin Maimann Page: 3 GROW-OPS SKIRTING THE LAW While patients are fighting for better access to medical marijuana, home grow-ops are giving Edmonton police a headache. The federal government made home growing illegal last year, but medical users fought the new regulations in court and won a temporary injunction allowing those who were currently growing for medical purposes to continue doing so. The federal government lost an appeal to strike the injunction down in December, and a constitutional challenge remains before the federal court. Sgt. Dwayne Karpo with the EPS Green Team said home grow-ops often skirt the law. "It definitely is an abused program," he said, though he could not pinpoint how many home-based growers are conducting illegal activities in Edmonton. "It does make our job tougher with so many Health Canada issued licences out there." Karpo also worries about break-ins if criminals find law-abiding home grow-op locations. Last month, two people with valid medical marijuana production licences were busted for trafficking in Sherwood Park. A man and woman in their twenties were slapped with numerous charges after Strathcona County RCMP and Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams discovered 198 pot plants and a "large sum of cash" at a residence, as well as 425 grams of "suspected cocaine" at an Edmonton storage locker believed to be tied to the pair. Dustin William Warwa, 28, and Mary Natasha Rickerd-Rousso, 26, were arrested and charged. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom