Is the best solution to illegal pot grow-ops tougher law enforcement or legalization?
As Parliament considers the merits of decriminalizing marijuana and the Sunshine Coast RCMP busts a series of big grow shows, the debate over marijuana policies is heating up.
At opposite ends of the spectrum of pot opinions are Harold Long, MLA for Powell River-Sunshine Coast, and Adrian Belshaw, Sunshine Coast Regional District director for Roberts Creek.
Earlier this year, Belshaw spoke out against the police crackdown on grow-ops during a regional district meeting. He suggested highway safety and violent crime should be higher priorities.
"The current squandering of [police] resources on busting grow-ops, that are currently bringing more money into the community than logging is, should stop," said Belshaw.
Those comments sparked an angry response from Long, who suggested Belshaw should resign his position.
Long even criticized Belshaw on the floor of the B.C. Legislature Feb. 23 during a speech on addictions.
After praising the Premier for creating a new ministry for mental health and addiction services and suggesting Revenue Canada confiscate the assets of big-time drug dealers, Long cited Belshaw's comments as an example of "how bad it can be."
"How stupid can this person [Belshaw] be?" asked Long. "Maybe I should tell him half the marijuana grow-ops in B.C. are now being transferred for cocaine in the States back to B.C."
But Belshaw stands by his earlier statement and says the police crackdown on pot growing is "out of keeping with public values."
"I support legalization of marijuana in the same way that alcohol is legal," said Belshaw in an interview. "Sell it through a government agency and let the revenue go to government, as other luxury revenues do."
Lisa Kirkman, who is awaiting trial on charges of pot cultivation, considers the RCMP bust of her home last year as harassment. She said more than 10 officers entered her home with guns drawn and cut off her Hydro power, although they knew she had two young children and her husband depends on an electric-powered respirator because of a lung condition.
"They seriously endangered my husband's life," said Kirkman. "It's a vendetta."Kirkman thinks police are targeting her because of her promotion of medical marijuana. She founded the Gibsons Compassion Club, which provided medical marijuana to about 70 people until police shut it down in 2002. Kirkman was arrested but never formally charged in the Compassion Club bust.
After the RCMP busted Kirkman's home last year, Sgt. Danny Willis said it is standard practice to enter a grow-op with guns drawn and to disconnect the electricity to minimize the risks to officers.
In Sechelt provincial court this week, while sentencing a marijuana grower, Judge Dan Moon listed some ways in which grow-ops hurt society at large: the costly damage to rented houses, power thefts which damage Hydro equipment and create dangers of fire or electrocution, growers' use of weapons and the creation of opportunity for so-called "grow-rips," violent home invasions for the purpose of stealing a marijuana crop.
Belshaw argues those problems are caused by the fact pot is illegal, not by the drug itself.
"When you have prohibition, then you get criminal involvement with the prohibited substance," said Belshaw. "The worst thing we can do to organized crime is to legalize marijuana, because we'll destroy a lot of their business."
