Pubdate: Fri, 21 Feb 2014
Source: Richmond Review, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2014 Black Press
Contact:  http://drugsense.org/url/WcGUPNub
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/704
Author: Matthew Hoekstra

COUNCILLORS BACK POT PLANT

MediJean's bid to be Richmond's first commercial medical grow-op gets
support

A proposal to start the first commercial medical marijuana grow-op
business in Richmond is gaining traction at city hall, and appears to
be headed to a public hearing.

On Tuesday a city council committee unanimously endorsed MediJean's
bid to rezone an industrial park building near Ironwood to allow a
federally-licensed pot plant to begin operating.

A city council vote next Monday, Feb. 24, will determine whether the
proposal advances to a public hearing.

"Let's give it to the public to see what kinds of concerns they may
have if this business goes forward," said Coun. Chak Au, a member of
council's planning committee. "Based on the merits of this
application, I think it's worth considering."

MediJean has applied to Health Canada for a licence to produce and
sell medical marijuana. It already operates a medical marijuana
research facility at its 24,126-square-foot facility at 11320
Horseshoe Way, next to Richmond RCMP headquarters.

The federal government's medical marijuana program is undergoing
significant change.

Individual licences to possess and grow the drug expire March 31, when
licensed commercial producers-seven have been licensed so far-will
become the only legal distributors. New regulations are aimed at
cutting abuse and improving safety, according to a Health Canada.

The changes prompted Richmond council to change city rules in
December, effectively banning producers anywhere in Richmond. But
applicants are still able to apply. MediJean did, and it's likely to
get early approval from council Monday.

Au said MediJean's products have medical value, noting representatives
told committee its marijuana can be grown to suit a particular
patient's needs. But Au also said he has "great reservations" about
the effectiveness of the federal government's new strategy.

Under the former program, licensed medical marijuana users-there were
21,986 in 2012-could grow their own plants at low cost. Now those
users will be forced to buy from companies, but Au doesn't believe all
users will abandon the lower-cost method of growing their own.

"The cost will be much much higher. Whether or not this is affordable,
at least to some people, is a question," he said. "That's why I don't
think the policy itself can get rid of the problem that they wanted to
get rid of in the beginning."

City staff know of at least a handful of other potential operators who
have applied for Health Canada licences to grow medical pot in Richmond.

In a news release earlier this month, MediJean CEO Jean Chiasson
emphasized the quality of his firm's marijuana.

"We have built a team that will ensure our standards meet or exceed
the safety, quality and consistency of a ready-to-eat-food product. It
is our policy at MediJean to not only deliver quality but breed it, to
guarantee that patients who use our medicine get the best medical
marijuana available."
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MAP posted-by: Matt