Pubdate: Sat, 15 Oct 2016
Source: Recorder & Times, The (CN ON)
Copyright: 2016 Recorder and Times
Contact: http://www.recorder.ca/letters
Website: http://www.recorder.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2216
Author: Ronald Zajac
Page: 2

COUNTY IN POT'S TOP 20

Grenville among busiest places for marijuana import, export; city is a
'middle market'

Grenville County was among the country's top 20 areas last year for
the number of marijuana import and export cases, according to
statistics obtained by Postmedia.

Meanwhile, when it comes to marijuana, Brockville is mainly a "middle"
market, says the city's police chief, Scott Fraser.

Statistics place Grenville County 17th among the top 20
municipalities, rated on the number of police marijuana import or
export incidents per 100,000 people in 2015.

Last year, there were 6.62 such cases per 100,000 people, compared to
1,059.49 in first-place Milk River, Alberta.

The numbers were compiled for a dozen years, and in Grenville they
range from a high of 20.63 per 100,000 in 2004 to zero in some years,
including 2011 through 2014.

Insp. Bill Bolton, commander of the Ontario Provincial Police's
Grenville detachment, would not address the area's national ranking
without a closer look at Postmedia's data. But he did note the
detachment and municipalities in South Grenville have a municipal drug
strategy.

"It's a community safety concern," said Bolton.

Nearby, Brockville tends to be an end-point for marijuana, not a point
of origin, said Fraser.

"Generally, our drugs are grown somewhere else," said the
chief.

With some notable and newsworthy exceptions, Brockville is not where
the drug is grown, but rather a destination market for marijuana
obtained, usually, in nearby larger centres, said Fraser.

"We're not a mecca for grow-ops in homes," he added.

"Our biggest one here would be possession or possession for the
purpose (of trafficking)."

In 2015, for instance, the Brockville Police Service had 68 incidents
involving possession of marijuana, said the chief. There were six
trafficking cases and one production case.

So far in 2016, there have been 41 possession cases and five instances
of trafficking.

Import and export charges tend not to be as frequent in Brockville, he
said.

Local drug dealers will tend to get the marijuana they traffic from
larger centres, said Fraser.

"It kind of puts us in that middle ground."

As for production, growers usually prefer the more remote rural areas
surrounding the city, said the chief.

Similarly, importing and exporting of marijuana happens just outside
Brockville's boundaries, along the busy Highway 401 or the two nearby
border crossings to the United States, he said.

"It's something that we certainly have a keen eye for."

Another concern is the river that separates this region from the
United States.

"It's tough to patrol the vast waters of the St. Lawrence River," said
Fraser.

Without discussing specifics, Bolton cautioned against assuming import
and export numbers would be higher in Grenville because of the
Johnstown bridge.

"There would be different avenues," he said.

"Import/export could have a broad range."

Bolton agrees growers tend to prefer farmers' fields in remoter rural
areas.

"They'll do it in locations that will not necessarily be their
property," added Bolton.

"It keeps the individual responsible at a greater distance and greater
length."

Bolton urged rural residents to keep their eyes open.

"If you see any suspicious vehicles parked in a location on a regular
basis... that's an indicator of concern," he said.

One thing Brockville definitely has is the end user of the marijuana
production chain. But as the federal government works toward
legalization, the way police officers deal with those users might vary
depending on circumstances, especially when it involves small amounts.

"We've been enforcing it the same way for a number of years, however,
there is also discretion," said the chief.

For quantities deemed small, officers will sometimes seize and destroy
the marijuana without charging the user, said Fraser, who recalls such
discretion being given officers even in the early 1990s when he worked
for the Vancouver Police Department.

There is currently no provision in the law to issue a fine in such
cases.

Another issue related to legalization, however, is stopping drivers
under the influence of marijuana.

As Fraser mentioned at a police services board meeting earlier this
year, there is still no breathalyser in existence for marijuana.

That means having officers trained as drug recognition experts, an
onerous process for a small police force.

Fraser hopes that, if breathalyser technology is not available by the
time Ottawa rolls out legalization, the federal government will help
with the cost of officer training.

"You'll need drug recognition experts to form the grounds for
charges," said the chief.

"Until it's (legislation) out, there's a lot more questions than
answers."
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MAP posted-by: Matt