Pubdate: Tue, 03 Nov 2015
Source: Intelligencer, The (CN ON)
Copyright: 2015, The Belleville Intelligencer
Contact: http://www.intelligencer.ca/letters
Website: http://www.intelligencer.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2332
Author: Jason Miller
Page: A1

COUNCIL TACKLES POT ISSUE

Former City Cop, Current Councillor Vehemently Opposed

A former senior police officer turned councillor wants to butt out 
any grey areas linked to the regulation of medical marijuana 
production and use here.

Coun. Mike Graham, a former police inspector, isn't high on the idea 
of opening the door to legalization or grey areas linked to 
production and retail sales, but says he supports usage for medical 
purposes only.

"I don't know what's coming down the tube," Graham said, of the 
uncertainty of the Liberals' move to institute new more relaxed 
legislation. "I'm deadly against marijuana legalization, but I'm not 
against it for medical usage, that's why it's important it has the 
word medical attached. We need to draw the line there."

Much of his apprehension comes "from my career and what I've seen the 
drug does."

His colleagues, around the table at Monday's planning advisory 
meeting, saw it necessary to instruct staff to provide further input, 
informed by public meetings, to create a roadmap for how and where 
these sites could potentially operate, if and when the newly-elected 
federal government initiates its new regulations.

Graham further cemented his concerns by not voting in favour, like 
the rest of the planning advisory committee, to consider creating a 
zoning bylaw amendment application to define medical marijuana and 
cannabis-related uses in Belleville.

He plans to continue vehemently oppose any retail store for marijuana 
sales, but said he's onside with the committee proactive approach. He 
wanted to ensure the wording of any rules to be strictly medical in 
meaning, leaving no room for misinterpretation.

"I will vigorously argue this until the sun falls out of the sky," he said.

Graham wasn't the only one who found potential grey areas worrisome.

"I'm a little concerned about the vagueness of cannabis-related 
uses," said Coun. Paul Carr. Carr wants it to be closely tied to 
Health Canada regulations on medical use.

"I don't want to contribute to the grey area," Carr said.

Staff said amendments will be made to smoke out any unclear areas 
before it's further fine-tuned by the committee and presented to 
council for final consultation.

Approving the recommendation is a first step in a proactive approach 
to regulation of medical marijuana production facilities and 
cannabis-related uses," a staff report reads. Staff said the city's 
zoning bylaws do not specifically address such manufacturing or retail uses.

Coun. Jack Miller is onside with a proactive approach.

"We've been faced with these things before and it's better to get 
ahead of them than react after the fact," he said.

He said the city was faced with similar deliberations with methadone 
usage sites.

A report, presented to the committee, indicated staff see the need to 
start looking at dealing with the issues as the federal government's 
committing to designing a new system of strict marijuana sales and 
distribution, despite of there being no details on implementation.

With that in mind, Miller said "we have to try and get ahead of them 
so we have something to control where these things go," Miller said. 
"We should start a process of thinking how we're going to handle it."

Staff informed the committee they have seen interest growing over the 
past year for the setup of medical marijuana production facilities as 
well as the establishment of a dispensary for medical 
cannabis-related products.

"Despite the regulations in place, there is very little planning 
history around these things," director Rod Bovay said, about defining 
locations across that may suit such uses. "We really have no 
direction from the province and the federal government on that."

He said adjusting city zoning gives the city control over site setup 
parameters, but reminded council much of that may be determined by 
the higher levels of government.

"We may be forced to accept where they go, if we have nothing in our 
zoning bylaw," he said. He pointed to the upswell of dispensaries in 
places like British Columbia and talks of growing crackdowns on sites 
toeing the regulation line.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom