Pubdate: Wed, 18 Jun 2014 Source: Meaford Express, The (CN ON) Copyright: 2014 Metroland Media Group Ltd. Contact: http://www.simcoe.com/meaford-on/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4855 Author: Chris Fell MEDICINAL MARIJUANA A HOT TOPIC Medicinal marijuana continues to be a hot topic for Meaford council. Meaford council at its regular meeting on June 9 approved a report that will see a public meeting about new policies governing medicinal marijuana grow operations held in the near future. The move came after multiple presentations to council about the matter. Local resident Rob Gardner, who is proposing a medicinal grow operation on his property on Highway 26, spoke to council about the matter at the meeting. Gardner said he felt "blindsided" when council recently imposed an interim control bylaw over medicinal grow operations. Gardner said he has been working with Health Canada on his proposal for some time and said the municipality had never indicated any concerns about the plan. He asked council to exempt his operation from new planning policies. Then, moments later, planner Dave Slade spoke to council on behalf of neighbouring property owners Bill and Phyllis Vail about concerns about the proposed medicinal grow operation. Slade urged council to proceed with caution on the matter and applauded the municipality for enacting interim control measures over what he said is a new land use. "We will watch this and certainly support you looking carefully at this and coming up with more policy direction than what is there at this time. It's important for this to be reviewed by the whole community," said Slade. Later in the meeting Director of Building and Planning Rob Armstrong presented a report to council about the entire issue. He said planning staff have been studying the issue and are ready to proceed to a public meeting about the matter. He said following the public meeting, which will be scheduled in the near future, formal policies would be brought to council for consideration. He said as part of the process Meaford planners consulted Grey County planners and have established that a medicinal grow operation is a permitted use in agricultural and rural zones. Armstrong also told council that it could consider the exemption requested by Gardner during the public meeting process. The public meeting is expected to be held in July. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt