Pubdate: Wed, 13 Jun 2007
Source: Maple Ridge News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2007 Maple Ridge News
Contact:  http://www.mapleridgenews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1328
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n688/a03.html
Author: M. Richardson

WASTING TIME WITH SMALL GROW OPS

Editor, The News:

Re: What about missed work (Letters, June 6).

Keeping our community safe, at the expense of selling our rights and
privacy and doing the job for police.

I don't understand.

If the marijuana grow operations and the larger gang-related ones are
stealing power, then they can't be on the list of excessive use of
power.

So we are wasting time and money in the hopes of shutting down maybe
one in 40 small-time grow ops, while we embarrass, humiliate and
interrupt the other 39 good citizens, all because they pay more for
their utility bills than their neighbours.

How does this make our community safer? Won't these small-time
operators just start stealing power, too?

Aren't almost all the marijuana fires caused from bypassed
hydro?

Want to get rid of pot dealers? Legalize marijuana, sell it in liquor
stores -- keep our economy up, benefit from the billion dollar
industry. Put our money towards real crimes like murder, rape, hard
drugs, theft.

Canada is no longer as welcomed in the word as it used to be. After 70
years here, I never thought I'd see us leaning towards a police state.
Next it'll be that we use too much gas or we're on the computer too
much.

Watch what we give away, it's too precious. Some countries fight for
these rights.

M. Richardson

Pitt Meadows
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake