[420 Girl]

Marijuana with an estimated street value of more than $50 million has been seized by RCMP in the province over the last several weeks.

Although final figures are still being tallied, RCMP said Wednesday that as many as 20,000 plants have been ripped from the ground by the police force during its annual marijuana-eradication program.

That adds up to 10 million joints, said Sgt. Luc Breton of RCMP J Division's drug-awareness section.

"It makes us feel good," Breton said "The less weed that's on the street, the less kids that are going to be getting it."

Breton said the RCMP's success in locating and removing the plants can be credited to the work by district police offices in New Brunswick and to more assistance from the public.

"When you think about it, there is no doubt that these weeds are going to our streets and it is affecting everybody," Breton said.

"It is a known fact that a lot of young people will start using weed as their first drug of choice and then it goes from there. By the end of the day, they are addicted to hard chemical drugs."

RCMP estimate that at least a quarter of the marijuana grown in New Brunswick finds its way into the hands of organized crime.

Breton said there are more plant seizures than arrests.

That's because many of the marijuana grow operations are isolated and people use their familiarity with the locations to avoid being picked up.

"It's like looking for a needle in a haystack," Breton said. "We would love to get the people in the marijuana plantations, but the season is so short and we do not have the manpower to do the surveillance on those plantations like we would love to.

"At the end of the day, we would sooner take the plantation than nothing."

Michael Boudreau, an associate professor with the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at St. Thomas University, said seizing the marijuana and proving who owns it are two different things.

He said there aren't many arrests because it's easier for police to take the substance in the hope of sending a message to growers that they're being watched.

But when it comes to searching private property, police have to have a warrant and be able to prove they have good cause or good reason, Boudreau said.

People who feel their rights have been violated because of marijuana seizures have the right to challenge under Section 8 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees that everyone has the right to be secure from unreasonable search and seizure, he said.

"But I hope they have deep pockets, because it is going to take a while," Boudreau said. "It's not impossible but it's difficult to argue one charter right against another. There is also the proviso that the goals of fundamental justice should also prevail.

"If it means protecting society from illegal drugs, as opposed to respecting someone's privacy, the chances are the fundamental justice would be protecting society from drugs."

Breton, meanwhile, acknowledges that a search warrant is needed if police have knowledge that marijuana is situated on private property. But if a plantation is noticed from the air, RCMP can eradicate it.

"We would be allowed to stop and pick up that because we had no knowledge it was there," Breton said. "We haven't had ( anyone complain ) yet and I don't know anybody that would walk forward and say, ( hey ) 'Those are my plants.' "

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