Imagine that you have a painful, debilitating medical or psychological condition. You and your doctor agree that a certain medicine is the best available treatment. Now imagine that, rather than taking your doctor’s note into the nearest drug store and waiting a few minutes while the pleasant young person behind the counter fills your prescription, you have to send off forms to Ottawa and wait as long as eight to 10 months before you can get your medicine. In the meantime, if you find a way to access what you need in a less formal way, you live every day with the prospect of armed men in body armor breaking into your home and arresting you. [continue]

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

(From Gabriolan.ca.)

Here’s some Gabriola news from the RCMP: Gabriola – Search Warrant Executed – 691 Marijuana Plants Seized.

On Wednesday March 25, 2009 the Gabriola RCMP, assisted by members of the Nanaimo RCMP, executed a search warrant on a residence in the 300 block of Berry Point Rd., Gabriola Island, B.C. in relation to an indoor marijuana grow operation investigation.

Upon entry to the residence police found a large indoor marijuana grow operation. A total of 691 marijuana plants and a large amount of equipment used to grow these plants were seized by police. No one appeared to be living in the residence and the entire building was used solely for the purpose of growing marijuana. [continue]

300 block, hmmm? I’m trying to visualize it. Here’s a Google map showing the location of 300 Berry Point Road.

Update: A Nanaimo Daily News article published on April 2nd adds:

Police are concerned because the B.C. Hydro crew that attended the scene to disconnect power to the house told them the grow-op had tremendously overloaded circuits and power lines.

Update: July, 2010 – Gabriola RCMP raided two more grow-ops, according to an article in the Gabriola Sounder:

Thursday, July 8th, Gabriola RCMP served two warrants on two different homes on Gabriola. The first was on Gallagher Way. The occupants have been charged with production of an illegal substance (marijuana), and possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Inside the house RCMP found six guns and a crossbow. Charges of careless storage of firearms are being sought.

In the second home, located on Dunshire, Gabriola RCMP found another grow-op, no connection to the one on Gallagher Way.

(Link to Sounder article removed, as it is no longer on their website.)

Related posts

• Look what else grows in our woods!

(From Gabriolan.ca.)