Pubdate: Fri, 24 May 2013
Source: Stayner Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2013 Metroland
Contact:  http://www.simcoe.com/stayner-on/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3886
Author: Michael Gennings

MEDICAL MARIJUANA GROW OPERATION IN CLEARVIEW

For about the last 16 months a federally regulated medical marijuana 
growing operation has existed at a farm property on Sunnidale 
Concession 12 in Clearview Township, The Sun has learned.

The company running the operation at the leased site is The Peace 
Naturals Project, owned by Clearview resident Mark A. Gobuty.

He contacted the newspaper Thursday, May 23 to announce the business 
was operating in the municipality.

Gobuty said he decided to go public with the venture so there is full 
disclosure and no suspicions about what the company is doing.

"We are very proud of what we're doing and there is no shame," he said.

The company took the same open, transparent approach with the OPP 
when it first started to operate in the community, Gobuty noted.

He said the company encouraged police to visit the secure site at any 
time to inspect, adding that to date officers have been through the 
indoor growing facility six times.

The business is operating with a licence from Health Canada, which 
regulates medical marijuana growing operations.

So far the company is providing marijuana to two people that have 
prescriptions from their doctors and the authorization of Health 
Canada to use it for medicinal purposes. Right now it can legally 
provide marijuana for up to four people.

Currently, people apply to take part in Health Canada's Marijuana 
Medical Access Program.

If accepted, they can grow marijuana at home or buy it from an 
approved producer.

But the federal government is making changes that will take effect in 
April 2014.

Under the new rules, people won't be allowed to cultivate their own plants.

Instead, they will have to access commercial growers.

The aim is to better regulate marijuana growing.

Users also won't need a licence from Health Canada - just a doctor's 
prescription.

Gobuty said that his company is going through the approval process so 
it can become one of the commercial growers once the rules change.

If successful, the company will be able to expand its growing 
operations and the number of people it can supply.

The company aims to become "the best commercial cannabis producer in 
Canada," Gobuty said.

Thousands of Canadians use marijuana for medical reasons. People that 
smoke the plant report it easing pain and encouraging appetite.

Gobuty said he personally became interested in the plant as an 
alternative to pharmaceuticals when his parents were dealing with a 
variety of health issues. They started to use marijuana, reporting 
some pain relief, and from there Gobuty explored growing the crop for others.

Today, he has a whole team working with him on the project, including a doctor.

The company hopes to develop different strains of marijuana that will 
help people battling specific diseases.

Gobuty jokes about being a "drug dealer" and technically he is one 
but he stresses the company is completely legitimate and documents 
everything it does.

He said they have enough documentation to "choke a horse."

Friday morning, Gobuty and his team made a presentation to Clearview 
Township's Economic Development Committee. Again, the aim was 
transparency, he said.

Gobuty said if people have a problem with what they are doing he 
hopes they'll contact him so they can "work through it."

Mayor Ken Ferguson said he first met with Gobuty in March and again 
in April to learn about the project. He said until that point he did 
not know much about medical marijuana.

"Well I look at it as strictly agricultural," he said. "It's highly 
regulated and that's why he's being so up front with everyone. And I 
look at it very positively as long as everything is done up to snuff."

People wanting to reach Gobuty do so through e-mail. The address is  ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom