WHEREAS marihuana grow operations (MGO) are causing severe problems to law enforcement, our communities and our economy; and

WHEREAS the threat to public safety includes residents and children who reside near MGO clandestine chemical labs which are increasingly fortified including booby traps and are causing serious injuries; and

WHEREAS a significant number of the several thousand MGOs have children living within the premises who are subject to severe health and safety concerns; and

WHEREAS many facets of organized crime, including outlaw motorcycle gangs, are reaping the enormous profits of marihuana cultivation, often in residential areas of our communities across Ontario; and

WHEREAS there is a serious economic cost, including theft of hydro, escalating enforcement costs, insurance (residential and commercial) costs and costs of complex investigations and court proceedings; and

WHEREAS there are serious life safety threats to police officers, emergency services personnel, including fire, EMS and hydro; and WHEREAS substance abuse is a devastating health and community safety problem with negative social, public safety and economic consequences exceeding $9 billion annually;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the OACP call upon the Premier of Ontario to represent the interests of law enforcement and community safety within Ontario by urging the Government of Canada to enact immediate legislative reform to provide for minimum sentences of 2 years as a deterrent for the cultivation of marihuana; and

THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the OACP ask the Government of Ontario to provide funding for dedicated MGO coordination personnel for CISO (Criminal Intelligence Service of Ontario) to integrate Provincial activity with Federal initiatives related to MGOs. Adopted at the June 18, 2003 Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police Annual General Meeting – Richmond Hill, Ontario.