Quebec provincial police cracking down on illegal cannabis growers

The Sûreté du Québec is reminding Quebecers that despite the legalization of cannabis last year, its production — even for personal use — remains illegal in the province.

The reminder comes as the outdoor planting of cannabis seedlings gets underway.

Officers on patrol, as well as investigators, will be on the “lookout for suspicious behaviour around fields and illegal cannabis plantings will be eradicated,” the SQ said in a news release.

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The SQ said its ACCES (for action concertée contre l’économie souterraine) Cannabis task force targets any illegal action related to cannabis including production, possession for the purpose of trafficking, import and export.

The program is similar to existing initiatives established to fight the underground economy linked to contraband tobacco and alcohol.

The SQ says it has a team dedicated to the daily fight of cannabis contraband that tracks all stages of the supply chain.

The SQ is asking anyone with information on illegal activities linked to the possession, production or the sale of cannabis to call 1-800-659-4264.

WATCH: (July 18, 2019) City of Toronto taking extreme measures to close illegal dispensaries

1:44 City of Toronto taking extreme measures to close illegal dispensaries