Pubdate: Fri, 04 Apr 2014
Source: Abbotsford News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2014 Abbotsford News
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/BkAJKrUD
Website: http://www.abbynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1155
Author: Alex Butler
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)

MEDICAL POT COMPANY LOOKS TO SET UP IN ABBY

As the city waits for provincial approval to ban commercial medical 
marijuana grow-ops on agricultural land, a company looking to set up 
a legal grow-op on the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) has applied 
for a business licence.

Council decided on Monday to hold the application for 90 days.

As the country moves to a system of commercial grows - ending the 
current system of home production - the city has approved bylaws to 
ban the large-scale operations in the city, seeking to make growing 
any marijuana in Abbotsford illegal.

But banning grows on the ALR requires approval from the Ministry of 
Agriculture, which is still pending.

Canaweed Production Incorporated has applied to Health Canada to 
establish a grow-op at 36156 Vye Rd., near Upper Sumas Elementary.

The city can hold a business licence application for 90 days if it is 
in conflict with bylaws that are in preparation. The application will 
be held while the city waits for direction from the ministry.

The Agricultural Land Commission has previously stated that medical 
marijuana production is a permitted farm use and representatives from 
the BC Agriculture Council have also said that the legal growing of 
marijuana should be an option available to farmers.

A report from city staff said their recent inquiries with ministry 
representatives "have indicated that the minister has not rendered a 
decision on whether or not an approval of the amending bylaw is forthcoming."

Medical marijuana users across the country won a reprieve last month, 
allowing them to keep growing pot at home after a federal court judge 
granted a temporary injunction, pending the outcome of a 
constitutional challenge that is still to be heard.

The federal government has announced its plans to appeal the decision.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom