Pubdate: Mon, 30 Dec 2013
Source: Penticton Herald (CN BC)
Copyright: 2013 The Okanagan Valley Group of Newspapers
Contact:  http://www.pentictonherald.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/664
Author: John Moorhouse

FIRST MEDICAL MARIJUANA GROWING FACILITY TO OPEN SOON

The first medical marijuana growing facility in the 
Boundary-Similkameen should be in operation within the next couple of 
months, says MLA Linda Larson.

Larson and Penticton MLA Dan Ashton discussed new federal pot 
legislation and several other topics during a year-end appearance 
before the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen board.

Larson declined to state exactly where the indoor pot facility is 
located, but noted it is very isolated.

"It is a big facility, but you will never find it. You won't know 
where it is," she said. "It has the highest security you could 
possibly imagine."

Security measures include 24 surveillance cameras, barbed wire, and 
other features.

The MLA noted the facility is governed under recently amended federal 
legislation regarding the growing of medicinal pot.

"There's two sides to this. There's the soft street drug versus the 
medical end of it as well," she said.

"I've got 25 jobs coming in an area that's desperately in need of 
them and I can't find anything wrong with what this businessman has done."

Ashton added although he personally supports the medicinal use of 
marijuana, he remains opposed to its complete legalization, despite 
such recent moves in Colorado and Washington state.

"I hope the province treads purely and softly on this until we see 
what is happening in the rest of the world," Ashton said.

Some RDOS directors also urged caution over the impact of large-scale 
pot growing operations.

Tom Siddon, director for Okanagan Falls-Kaleden, said the federal 
government has done nothing to police and enforce building code 
standards for such indoor growing facilities.

Siddon said he has already received complaints about a 
recently-licenced operation near Okanagan Falls that "stinks to high 
heaven" with the smell of marijuana inundating the surrounding 
agricultural area.

"The neighbours have to live with that - and that's unacceptable," he 
said. "If they want to put it in an industrial area and enclose it 
and don't ventilate it, fine, but I don't think the neighbourhood 
should have to live with that terrible odour."

Meanwhile, Larson said provincial funding for the historic Keremeos 
Grist Mill will continue for at least another year and may provide 
some opportunities over the next 12 to 18 months for the current 
manager to expand his operations.

"The Heritage Branch is interested in allowing him some leeway there 
to make his operation more sustainable by adding other components to 
it," she said. "I haven'-t been pushed at this point to ask the 
regional district to become involved in this heritage property."

In November, Heritage Branch staff told the RDOS board that the 
regional district may have to take over the grist mill, with 
provincial funding due to end after 2014. That presentation had many 
RDOS directors fuming about perceived provincial downloading onto 
local government.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom