Pubdate: Fri, 20 Jan 2012
Source: Coast Reporter (CN BC)
Copyright: 2012 Coast Reporter
Contact:  http://www.coastreporter.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/580
Author: Christine Wood

POT GROWERS DON'T LIKE PROPOSED BYLAW

Medical Marijuana Meeting

Growers of medicinal marijuana for personal use don't want to be 
restricted to an industrial or agricultural area to grow because they 
can't afford it. That was the assertion from home growers who 
attended the District of Sechelt's medical marijuana zone 
consultation meeting Jan. 17.

About 20 people, some growers, some community members who live nearby 
legal grow-operations, came out to the meeting Tuesday night to have 
their say on the District's new proposed bylaw.

That bylaw, which is a work in progress and may be changed, suggests 
creating specific zones for growing medicinal marijuana in 
agricultural or industrial zoned areas.

The proposed bylaw comes after an application was made to the 
District to grow medicinal marijuana commercially in an industrial 
zone. Currently marijuana production is not an allowed use in industrial areas.

The proposed new bylaw defines medicinal marijuana production as "the 
growing, harvesting, packaging or dispensing of marijuana as 
authorized under the federal marijuana medical access regulations."

Currently those regulations don't say anything specific about where 
marijuana can be grown. The majority of those who came out to 
Tuesday's meeting said they grow at home.

"It costs a lot of money for the equipment and stuff to grow medical 
marijuana and if you made it so I would have to grow it somewhere 
else, I wouldn't be able to get my medication at all," one man said, 
noting it would cost too much to rent or buy another space and equip 
it to grow.

But Sunshine Coast RCMP and Coast firefighters say they want to see 
those grow-ops moved for safety reasons.

"The fire departments' position on the Coast, and we're united in 
this, is that as much as we can if we can start with getting the 
legal ones out of people's homes that's a good thing, that's a safe 
thing for the firefighters and other first responders like the 
police," said Sechelt fire chief Bill Higgs.

Higgs said that the unfused electrical wiring in most grow-ops is a 
severe safety hazard for firefighters who have no way of knowing if a 
fire they're responding to is a grow-op or not.

"People aren't very forthcoming with that information," Higgs added.

Sgt. Mike McCarthy was also at the meeting to support the proposed 
bylaw and explain the need for change.

"The benefit I can see to [the proposed bylaw] is that just in the 
last year and a half there have been five illegal entries into 
medicinal grow-ops in the community. Two of those were with violence. 
One there was actually a family that was tied up and held at 
gunpoint," McCarthy said.

"So in that short period of time, that's really a high potential for 
violence. And ultimately, if it were to continue, there's a 
significant chance that death could occur in a situation like that. 
So we feel like if it were to be taken out of areas with families, 
that would reduce and mitigate the risks."

Two people noted that families also live in agricultural areas and 
suggested that part of the proposed zoning be taken out, leaving only 
industrial zones for medicinal grows.

Some felt there should be a separate bylaw for home growers than for 
commercial growers and asked for the District's support of home 
growing by giving information to those who ask about how to do it properly.

In the end, resident Maryanne Smith came up with an innovative answer 
for home growers.

"Would the city of Sechelt be willing to somehow subsidize an area 
for these people to come into so they can grow it all in one 
industrial area? And people pay fees to use that just like any 
community garden would have a membership and they would all have 
their own licences," Smith said.

Many were intrigued by the idea, including community planner Andre 
Boel, who was chairing the meeting.

"That's a great out-of-the-box solution. I don't really know what to 
say about it yet. I have to think about it," Boel said.

Boel will compile the suggestions into a report for council's 
consideration. From there, council will discuss possible changes or 
request more research into the proposed bylaw.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom