Pubdate: Thu, 09 Jan 2014
Source: Surrey Leader (CN BC)
Copyright: 2014 Surrey Leader
Contact:  http://www.surreyleader.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1236
Author: Jeff Nagel

CITIES AIM TO STOP MEDICAL MARIJUANA HOME GROWERS

Hundreds face enforcement this spring as licenses expire

Some B.C. cities are vowing to do what they can to uproot licensed
medical marijuana grow operations in homes that will become illegal
this spring as federally approved large-scale commercial growers take
over.

As of April 1, an estimated 11,500 B.C. medical marijuana grow
operations that have been run by or on behalf of federally licensed
users are supposed to shut down voluntarily but civic leaders say
Health Canada is doing almost nothing to force them to comply.

"It's an absolute gong show," Abbotsford Mayor Bruce Banman said.
"They're keeping cities completely in the dark as to what they plan to
do to fix this mess."

Abbotsford, Port Coquitlam, Surrey and some other cities that have
identified some medical marijuana grows - through safety inspections
or police raids that were called off when they turned out to be
licensed - plan to take steps to ensure they shut down.

Banman said Abbotsford is aware of approximately 100 currently legal
grows and Abbotsford Police will likely follow up with them in the
spring, but added there are at least 700 more at unknown locations
that Health Canada won't disclose.

Surrey has for years used fire safety inspection teams to root out
illegal pot grow ops, usually targeted based on excessive power
consumption or neighbourhood complaints.

Deputy fire chief Dan Barnscher said Surrey's teams have uncovered
nearly 300 licensed medical grows, most of them in the past two years.

As in Abbotsford, that's just the tip of the iceberg - Surrey has
learned through Access to Information requests that the city is home
to nearly 900 medical pot grows that are soon to become illegal.

"There's an expectation they will be doing a complete cleanup and
remediation of their property," Barnscher said. "We're going to give
them a timeline to do that. We're not going to show up on April 1 or
2nd."

He said remediation work must be verified by a city-approved
industrial hygenist and restoration professional to ensure they don't
leave behind an electrical fire trap or dangerous mould for future
residents.

Barnscher concedes there's nothing to stop those licensed growers from
moving to elude authorities, but added they will no longer have Health
Canada protection if the grow-op is found again in Surrey at a new
location.

Maple Ridge Mayor Ernie Daykin said his staff will soon pull together
an action plan to respond to the estimated 600 to 700 medical pot
grows in his city.

"I don't know how realistic it is to expect those people to
voluntarily shut down and start ordering it legally from Pete's
Pothouse," Daykin said.

Cities are also wary of recently launched legal action.

Medical marijuana users hope a constitutional challenge launched by
Abbotsford lawyer John Conroy will strike down part of the new federal
regulations on medical marijuana or at least force an extension of the
April 1 deadline while the case is before the courts.

Conroy's application to exempt or grandfather in existing holders of
personal production or designated grower licences is expected to be
heard in early February.

Users fear it will cost them much more to buy from authorized
commercial sellers than it has to grow their own.

Saskatoon-based CanniMed, one of the first producers to be licensed
and begin shipments, is selling its medical pot for $7.50 to $12 per
gram.

Lower Mainland cities have taken varied approaches on where they will
allow new approved growers to set up highly regulated, secure medical
pot growing operations.

Maple Ridge is allowing them only in agricultural areas, while Delta,
Langley Abbotsford and Kelowna are opposing medical pot as an allowed
use on farmland.
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MAP posted-by: Matt