Pubdate: Wed, 06 Mar 2013
Source: Maple Ridge News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2013 Maple Ridge News
Contact:  http://www.mapleridgenews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1328
Author: Craig Speirs

DREAMING OF MEDICAL CANNABIS INDUSTRY HERE

Editor, The News:

Mayor and council, the economic implications of encouraging the
medical cannabis industry in Maple Ridge are huge.

The industry creates well-paying, sustainable jobs on a small
footprint, pays taxes, employs locals and consumes goods and services
from surrounding businesses.

This is exactly the type of business activity council has been
dreaming of and talking about for as long as I can remember.

But what I see council doing is pushing the industry away by making it
difficult to site them where they would be easiest to service and made
secure.

The most difficult place to do either is on isolated rural
property.

There are a lot of jobs at stake and what I see is a sense of distaste
coming from council for what is an emerging industry that helps
relieve the suffering of many sick people and can potentially create
many new jobs in Maple Ridge.

I say potentially because those jobs could easily go to other
communities.

The easiest area to supply servicing is in industrial/urban
areas.

Security is a matter of building design and supervision and with
regulation can be accomplished in most areas.

Dispensing isn't a proposed use so extended setbacks, even around
schools, aren't, in reality, needed.

There might be a case for increased setbacks with field-grown
medicinal cannabis, although a stout fence, razor wire, video
surveillance and sensors should be enough to keep out even the most
determined school children and, of course, criminals.

Building inspections and monitoring of the grow systems would keep the
buildings healthy and costs would be recovered through fees, permits
and taxes.

This industry could be a solid revenue generator for the
district.

Regulations and standards are the details that will emerge as the
process matures. It makes sense that municipalities take on the
building inspection role for all applications, urban or rural.

I heard a suggestion that there be a 800-metre separation between
medical grows, like they were gas stations.

Obviously, security would be easier to apply if medical grows were
encouraged to cluster.

To suggest a large separation shows a lack of understanding of the
positive financial benefits this industry represents.

There is also a great need for a federal research facility to explore
the medical applications of cannabis, and I don't need to tell you how
many positive effects we would enjoy if that happened in Maple Ridge.

Instead of resisting this emerging industry, I would like to see
council pursue it and encourage its establishment in Maple Ridge. We
need the jobs and increased tax base.

Enough talk, let's see some action.

Craig Speirs

Maple Ridge
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MAP posted-by: Matt