Pubdate: Tue, 28 May 2013
Source: Chilliwack Progress (CN BC)
Copyright: 2013 The Chilliwack Progress
Contact: http://www.theprogress.com/contact_us/
Website: http://www.theprogress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/562
Author: Jennifer Feinberg

KEEP FARMLAND FREE FROM MEDICAL POT: CITY

The recent push from B.C. cities to ensure medical marijuana is grown 
in industrial zones, and not on farmland, stemmed from a motion first 
passed by Chilliwack city council.

Federal authorities are now gearing up to remove medical pot growing 
from residential areas for good, to be replaced by large commercial growers.

But there are still lingering questions as to where exactly these 
marijuana grow-ops will be permitted to set up shop.

"Medical marijuana is more akin to a pharmaceutical product so we 
believe it should be sited in industrial rather than on agricultural 
land," said Coun. Chuck Stam, chair of the city's public safety committee.

A new regulatory regime for medical marijuana from Health Canada is 
expected to come into force by 2014, and big changes are expected 
under the federally regulated program.

About 67 per cent of Chilliwack's land base is agricultural, so it's 
a big question mark for Chilliwack, as to whether those lands will be 
allowed to be used for this purpose. City officials have made it 
clear they don't want to see medical pot growing on farmland.

The concerns range from odours and toxic chemicals, along with 
potential security issues from grow-rips, fires and mould damage, Stam said.

"There's a belief that it would put a lot of pressure on our 
agricultural producers, since it's a high value crop."

He said a situation in Ryder Lake, where people are on private wells 
worried about contamination of their water, has highlighted the 
problem for the safety committee, and discussions have been held with 
Safer Neighbourhoods, and other groups.

The resolution was brought to the floor of a Lower Mainland Local 
Government Association (LMLGA) meeting by Coun. Jason Lum on May 9. 
It urged Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) to lobby for the 
industrial-only land restriction as the feds prepare to approve new 
large-scale growers.

It argues that siting medical grow-ops on farm land would create "a 
tax burden on the community" similar to other industrial uses, "at a 
much greater level than the tax recovery on farm property would 
produce," and resolves that UBCM ask the province to amend the 
Assessment Act, so they can't be classified as a farm for assessment 
and tax purposes, "if the land is used for the production and 
distribution of marihuana for medical purposes."

Ottawa announced in January it will phase out individual licences for 
medical marijuana users to grow pot in their own homes and instead 
have all medical pot grown and distributed by highly regulated, 
secure commercial operators.

"For cities it's remains a question of where it should happen, and 
zoning is the only tool we have," Stam said.

The April 1, 2014 date is approaching quickly, he said.

"It sounds like it's a long time away, but it's not," said the 
Chilliwack city councillor.

All of the "so-called legal" grow-ops in homes won't be permitted 
after that date as the MMAR rules are set to change, and cities have 
to be prepared with bylaws changes in place.

"So the question becomes what happens to them? Do they turn out the 
light where they are on April 1? Or do they move onto industrial 
lands?" Stam asked.

A total of 3,576 Canadians had licences to cultivate/produce 
marihuana for medical purposes, as of January 2010 according to 
federal sources, while 2,822 people hold a personal-use production 
licence and 754 hold a designated-person production licence under the 
Marijuana Medical Access Regulations (MMAR).

"I suspect there will be legal challenges to Health Canada 
eventually," said Stam, depending on what they decide to do about 
locating the grow-ops.

Maple Ridge Mayor Ernie Daykin is one local leader who disagreed with 
the no-farmland position the other cities are taking.

"We feel very strongly our industrial park is not the appropriate 
place," he said.

The main concerns, for Maple Ridge, he said, are odour for neighbours 
and whether operators have tough enough security to fend off 
grow-rips by gangsters.

Maple Ridge wants the pot growers to instead be limited by the feds 
to agricultural parcels, with large setbacks, similar to mushroom or hog farms.

- --with files from Jeff Nagel
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom