Pubdate: Tue, 14 Jan 2014
Source: Guardian, The (CN PI)
Section: Front Page
Copyright: 2014 The Guardian, Charlottetown Guardian Group Incorporated
Contact:  http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/174
Author: Dave Stewart

PUBLIC TO HAVE SAY ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA FACILITY

City Considers Adding Definition To Bylaw In Event Of Building
Application

The City of Charlottetown may be paving the way for the province's
first medical marijuana production facility.

Council voted unanimously (9- 0, Coun. Eddie Rice was not present for
the vote) to proceed to the public consultation phase to consider an
amendment to the city's zoning and development bylaw.

Such an amendment would add a definition for medical marijuana
production facility. The resolution also stipulated that a medical
marijuana production facility could only be built in a heavy
industrial zone or a business park industrial zone, such as the
bio-commons park in the former neighbourhood of West Royalty.

"We didn't do anything yet," cautioned resolution mover Coun. Rob
Lantz, chairman of the planning committee. "We just decided that we
will take the issue to public consultation to see if we'll amend the
bylaw."

The federal government launched a $ 1.3- billion free market in
medical marijuana last fall. Health Canada is phasing out an older
system that mostly relied on small-scale, home grown medical
marijuana of varying quality, often diverted illegally to the black
market.

Under new federal legislation, large indoor marijuana farms certified
by the RCMP and health inspectors will produce, package and distribute
a range of standardized weed, all of it sold for whatever price the
market will bear. The first sales took place this past October,
delivered directly by secure courier.

Lantz said this step by council is in response to the changes made
federally.

"We're not in receipt of any kind of application for one of these
facilities here but I have heard rumours that, perhaps, there is
someone interested and who is in discussion with the federal
government about the possibility of doing that here so we need to be
prepared to have a bylaw that regulates these kinds of facilities if,
in fact, we do receive an application."

Health Canada is placing no limits on the number of these new capital-
intensive facilities, which will have mandatory vaults and security
systems.

Private-dwelling production will be banned. Imports from places such
as the Netherlands will be allowed.

"There is a perfectly legal use under federal regulation," Lantz
said. "We did discuss the types of areas where these types of
facilities would be appropriate.

"The bio-commons is probably a logical place or any industrial area.
In the bio-commons ( area), there are all kinds of facilities out
there that produce bioactive ingredients of one sort or another, maybe
not so different from medical marijuana."

Canada is in the midst of a transitional period with the federal
regulations as Health Canada phases out the old system by March 31,
while encouraging medical marijuana users to register under the
replacement regime and to start buying from the new factory-farms. As
of October, there were 37,400 medical marijuana users across the
country recognized by the department but officials project that number
will swell more than 10- fold, to as many as 450,000 people, by 2024.

The profit potential is enormous. A gram of dried marijuana bud on the
street sells for about $ 10 and Health Canada projects the legal stuff
will average about $ 7.60 this year, as producers set prices without
interference from government.

"I view it as an economic development opportunity for the city if, in
fact, something like this comes along so we need to be able to deal
with it from our zoning and development bylaw perspective," the
councillor said.  
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D