75A - PH - MEDICAL MARIJUANA - PROHIBIT

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El Cerrito Police Department Memorandum January 12, 2007 To: Scott C. Kirkland Chief of Police From: Commander M. Regan Subject: Recent Information Regarding Marijuana and Dispensaries As we have discussed, I have continued to follow current events as they relate to Marijuana and Dispensary related issues. I have assembled some of the information I have collected into four categories, irrunerging trends, secondary effects, ordinance related stories and medical. issues. A majority of the entries are excerpts from news articles obtained from the Internet. Immerging Trends: Reports from Californian, National and Canadian sources suggest that there will be a significant increase in "in-door grows" as a means of producing marijuana. These type of grows are becoming popular in that they axe more difficult to detect than out door grows and the controlled enviromnent allows up to four growing "seasons" per year dramatically increasing the output per square foot utilized and therefore increasing the profit potential. As demonstrated in these articles and our own experience, these grows can take place anywhere and the growers will no doubt take steps to protect their investment by arming themselves and possibly using booby traps. There is intelligence to suggest that the larger in-door grows are connected to organized crime factions. As these operations are set up in communities, these communities can expect the associated crimes that accompany this type of endeavor; murder, robbery, arson, extortion etc. Another factor we know from experience is the money made from the sales of illicit drugs are often used for other criminal. enterprises. Grow-op bust a snapshot of market High-rise seiaure of ,;I6-million in pot reflects Canada's major-source status, police officials say TIMOTHYAPPLEBYAND NICOLE O'REILLY In all, 18 soil-filled apartments in the same Jane Street. high-rise were found to have been transformed into indoor gardens, bursting with an estimated $6-million worth of plants. Current police intelligence suggests there are up to 1.0,000 marijuana grow-ops in the Greater Toronto Area...As for that $b-million figure -- based on expectations of a $1,000 yield for each of the 6,000-plus plants seized, "that's not out of line at al.l," Supt. Allen said. And if shipped across the U.S. border -- as are hundreds of tonnes of Canadian marijuana. each year, most commonly concealed in trucks -- the profit could be two or three times as much. That price differential -- a half kilogram of high-grade marijuana. worth upward of $1,600 in Canada is worth at least $3,000 (U.S.).... 75A-75