Pubdate: Sat, 03 Nov 2012
Source: Prince George Citizen (CN BC)
Copyright: 2012 Prince George Citizen
Contact:  http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/350
Author: Mark Nielsen

TIGHTER CONTROL IN STORE FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA, MP SAYS

The federal Conservatives are planning major changes in the way 
medical marijuana can be grown, Prince George-Peace River MP Bob 
Zimmer said Friday, the same day a Prince George man pleaded guilty 
to growing more than his legal limit.

Rather than handing out licences to grow small amounts for personal 
use, Zimmer said the operations will be centralized in "one or two 
facilities" and "sold in a much more controlled manner."

On Friday, James Henry Mackean, pleaded guilty in Prince George 
provincial court to growing more than allowed under two licences for 
a home in the 500 block of Alward Street.

Police were able to smell the marijuana from outside the building 
prior to securing a search warrant that led to an April 2011 seizure 
of nearly 400 plants from the duplex, the court heard Friday.

When first approached by police, Mackean claimed he had four 
licences, but it turned out two were in the name of people living in 
the Lower Mainland and had not yet been transferred to the Prince 
George address, the court heard.

The two other licences were in the names of Mackean's co-accused, 
Michelle Lorraine Shannon and Jessica Rae Tuff, and were for one side 
of the duplex.

Charges against Shannon were stayed after the court heard she 
suffered from significant health issues for which she used marijuana. 
Tuff's case remains ongoing.

On the other side of the duplex, for which there was no valid 
licence, police found 308 plants and 47 pounds of harvested marijuana 
in the basement.

They also found a large hole cut in the wall separating the sides 
and, after securing a second search warrant, found 212 plants and 
removed 90 of them leaving the rest covered by the licences.

Crown prosecution is seeking jail time for Mackean, who will be 
tentatively sentenced in April, once a pre-sentence report is completed.

The Mckean case is an example of how legal grow operations often 
become illegal, Zimmer commented.

"That's the way it happens," he said. "They start off saying 'we're 
only going to have six plants' or whatever the amount is, and it's 
just somewhat of legalizing an illegal operation or trying to give it 
some kind of credibility.

"We're cracking down on that and getting it back into a much more 
controlled fashion."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom