Pubdate: Tue, 03 Jun 2014
Source: Alberni Valley Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2014 Glacier Community Media
Contact:  http://www.avtimes.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4043
Author: Jen Fisher-Bradley
Page: 4
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v14/n472/a06.html

FOOD SECURITY AT STAKE IN RAPIDLY CHANGING CLIMATE

Re: "Applications roll in for medical pot," ( Alberni Valley Times, May 27)

Once again, denial keeps all the players from understanding what's 
really at stake - our food insecurity in a rapidly changing climate.

A recent report of 170 glaciers on the Island in the 1970s, with only 
five remaining, persistent deepening drought in California and the 
culprit, GHG emissions, continuing to rise exponentially all point in 
the same direction.

Sensible people will tell you we urgently need proactive policies. 
Denial is a well-known mental illness. When it comes to denial there 
is no sense, only overwhelming inner pressure to keep the truth out 
of sight and out of mind.

The players are farmers, the Agricultural Land Commission, medical 
marijuana growers and all three levels of elected government. It's a 
no-brainer, in exchange for the right and license to grow medical 
marijuana on agricultural land, we need increasing production of 
local food. This kind of policy is known as a quid pro quo.

Mr. Thompson says food should be grown on farmland. He implies food 
production is the appropriate use of the agricultural land reserve.

I couldn't agree more, but where is that food and why aren't farmers 
on Vancouver Island producing it? The short answer is they can't 
afford to, for a variety of complex marketing, economic and 
geo-political reasons, not the least of which is the oil and gas 
oligarchy which governs our current food system.

Pegged to each other through legislation, the production of medical 
marijuana and of local food creates a natural flow of reinvestment 
into food production.

A farmer growing both medical marijuana and food on agricultural land 
could make a decent living, while at the same time preparing our 
Island's population for the deadliest crisis humanity has ever known 
- - rapid climate change, and there's no time to waste.

Jen Fisher-Bradley Port Alberni
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom