ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER GROW OP

Without a doubt, local police are starting to make some headway in
their battle against organized crime.

In the past two months, police have raided and shut down six major
marijuana growing operations in Airdrie. There have also been busts
in the rural areas surrounding Calgary, while Chestermere and
Strathmore police have also made some headway.

What comes as the biggest surprise to us is not the hundreds and
thousands of plants being seized and destroyed by police. No, the
truly shocking part is how little reaction there has been from the public.

In the past, we would have expected shock and outrage against the
gangs who brought such crime to our so-called small and safe
communities. However, it seems the public is no longer surprised to
learn that organized crime is buying houses on typical residential
streets to use for mass production of drugs.

We're not talking about grandpa's little weed patch behind the barn
for personal use. These operations are sophisticated. The drugs
produced in them are being sold to fund weapons employed in property
theft, home invasions and violent crimes. The profits from these
operations far exceed government funding for police, making society's
efforts to control crime exceedingly difficult, if not impossible.

Perhaps worse than all this is the fact that most of the drugs
produced, whether its marijuana or those cooked up from chemicals and
household solvents in a homemade laboratory, are targeted for use by teens.

Judging by the lack of reaction from the public, it seems most
Airdrie residents already know all of this. They know all of this and
they are not surprised, shocked or outraged.

That is not a good sign.