Grow Ops Not a Threat

There have been a lot of stories circulating recently portraying grow ops as dangerous to their communities or to police; but is there any basis for these statements?

The authoritative study in this area, conducted by the RCMP Research Chair from the University College of the Fraser Valley, and paid for by the RCMP titled “Marijuana Growing Operations in British Columbia (revisted)”: http://www.ucfv.ca/pages/Special/Marihuana_Grow_Ops_in_BC_Study.pdf

The study examined what percentage of grow ops busted over a 10 year period contained dangers to the community or police:

Hazards (Dangerous Chemicals, Booby-Traps, explosives): 2.1%
Fires: 3.7%
Guns: 6%
Other Drugs: 3.6%
Other Weapons (Knives): 2.9%

This study shows conclusively that police raiding a grow operation find no guns 94% of the time, and no weapons at all 91.1% of the time. There is simply no justification for police assertions that they risk gun violence every time they enter a grow home, and ample evidence to suggest risk assessments ought to be standard operating procedure before raiding a home.

The perception of a danger to the community from grow ops is based upon risk of fire and dangers from chemicals.

In terms of fire risk, the study assumes that the total number of grow ops in the province for a given year equal the total number busted by police! Obviously, this is simply not true. According to research from Simon Fraser University and the Fraser Institute, police bust only 16.7% of grow ops in BC every year. When one accounts for this discrepancy, the study places the increased risk of fires from grow ops at ¼ that of cooking at home.

In terms of chemicals, there is no evidence whatsoever to show that grow ops contain any chemicals not commonly found on any farm. All Chemicals found are legal for purchase, sale, and use, in Canada.

In short, there is simply no justification for the public hysteria surrounding the potential dangers from grow operations. There is no legitimate cause for warrantless and police conducted “fire inspections” such as those taking place in the Fraser Valley; nor is there any cause for SWAT style tactics when conducting police raids on Grow ops. Dangers to the police and the community have been massively overstated, and the RCMP's own data proves it.

If our government was serious about moving Marijuana farming out of homes and onto farms, they would implement the recommendations of the largest scientific study on Marijuana policy in Canadian history, the Senate Special Committee on Illegal drugs report on Cannabis, to legalize and regulate Marijuana. Anything less is simply more of the same, a failed drug war.