Pubdate: Wed, 06 Mar 2013
Source: Maple Ridge News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2013 Maple Ridge News
Contact:  http://www.mapleridgenews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1328
Author: Phil Melnychuk

MEDICAL POT PRODUCTION ZONE IN THE WORKS

Staff have followed through with council's order to find a place for 
medical marijuana production in the farm fields of Maple Ridge.

A new bylaw proposes to allow commercial production of marijuana in 
agricultural zones only - providing there are ample buffers between 
the growing facilities and neighbours. A similar bylaw has been in 
place in neighbouring Pitt Meadows since 2010.

Buildings used for pot production must be 60 metres from the front 
and side lot lines and 30 metres from the rear property lines and any 
creeks, according to the proposed zone amending bylaw.

They must also be at least 200 metres from any school, planner Diana 
Hall told council Monday.

The latter restriction would automatically exclude many properties 
near the urban boundary from pot production.

With such a buffer, properties near Laity View and Yennadon 
elementary, and Westview and Meadowridge secondary schools would be 
precluded from setting up pot operations.

Maple Ridge is creating the bylaw to prepare for changes to federal 
legislation to take place next year. That will see small-scale 
growers with personal-use medical marijuana licences and designated 
person licences phased out and replaced by larger-scale commercial 
grow operations.

That could turn into a job generator, says a report written by Maple 
Ridge's legal firm, Young Anderson.

The report from the district's lawyer says personal use licences 
expire April 14, 2014.

"Municipalities should expect that business enterprises will be 
aggressive in establishing these uses, given the significant demand 
for the product, the scarcity of legal supply that can be expected 
when existing personal-use licences are phased out and the financial 
advantages that will accrue to early entrants into the industry."

Hall told council there could be a period of overlap when the new 
federal laws and existing rules are still in place.

Coun. Al Hogarth asked if council should also require a minimum 
distance of 800 metres between marijuana-producing operations.

Hall said federal rules have stringent regulations on ventilation and 
all operations must be indoors.

Coun. Cheryl Ashlie asked if grow ops in industrial areas will be 
brought into compliance once the new law is in place, and if it will 
be possible to remove them from such places.

Former Maple Ridge councillor Craig Speirs, who's supporting the The 
Always Growing Green Society, which dispenses medicinal pot on 224th 
Street, said the District of Maple Ridge is trying to push commercial 
pot operations away from industrial areas, where they'd be easiest to service.

His major concern is the escalation of prices that sick people could 
face. Licensed growers now can produce small amounts of medical 
marijuana for free, for either themselves or a small number of patients.

"The cost to these folks to buy commercial grade will go from nothing 
up to $500 a month."

Instead, he's suggesting grandfathering the medical grow licences, so 
as people expire, so will the licences.

Speirs also said that commercial pot production for medicinal 
purposes could be a major job generator.

"The industry creates well-paying, sustainable jobs on a small 
footprint, pays taxes, employs locals and consumes goods and services 
from surrounding businesses. This is exactly the type of business 
activity council has been dreaming of and talking about for as long 
as I can remember," he said.

Under the current system, one aggravation for police is that medical 
marijuana producers don't have to account for the actual yield of 
their crop, which could far exceed what their licence specifies, and 
receive no penalty for doing so. That's resulted in organized crime 
approaching medical grow operators for any of the surpluses.

As of a year ago, 3,600 people in B.C. were authorized to have 
medical marijuana, while about 1,200 were licensed to grow medical 
marijuana, many of whom do so in their homes.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom