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The City is proposing medical marijuana growers find themselves a building and some industrial land.
Amendments to the City's zoning bylaw go to council Tuesday as a follow up to changes made to medical marijuana grow regulations made by the federal government last month.
Changes include requiring medical marijuana grow operations to be located in general industrial or heavy industrial areas, with a business licence and ventilation plan.
Local medical marijuana advocate Carl Anderson said Friday the regulations are making it so only the rich can have access to therapeutic pot.
"It's totally ridiculous. If I want to grow marijuana to help sick people, I'm not going to use a million dollars in power to do it," he said.
"If it's grown naturally under the sunlight, it's going to be far superior than anything you can produce under artificial lighting.
Anderson said the way he reads the federal rules, greenhouse growing is allowed as long as it's properly secured. He didn't see that as an option with the City's amendment.
"The City is saying you can't do that: you have to grow it indoors under hydroelectric power and produce an inferior product. I think they don't want any marijuana grown in Kamloops."
City planner Maren Luciani said the federal rules require medical marijuana to be grown indoors.
"There's a heavy security requirement involved as well. They have to meet heavy security requirements," she said.
While greenhouses aren't excluded, the security requirements are rigorous, she said.
Last month, Ottawa outlawed growing medical marijuana at home. Instead, users will have to buy from licensed growers who meet strict conditions. Municipal zoning bylaws would have to be met, the federal rules state.
Health Canada says at the end of last year there were 28,000 people across the country licensed to possess dried medical marijuana; 13,500 of them are in B.C. Those holding production licences number 18,000 Canadawide – half of them in B.C.
Anderson said the new rules make it prohibitively expensive for people with medical marijuana licences to access their medication. He knows one man who would need to spend $3,000 a month to buy marijuana that he grows in his home for $25 to $30 a month.
"I don't know too many people who can afford to fork out three grand a month," he said. He estimates about 100 people in Kamloops use medical marijuana.
"His operation is smaller than a kitchen table, totally self-contained and safe, no threat to anybody or anything. . . . Now the federal government is saying no you can't do that. You have to pay $10 a gram from these indoor producers."
City community development manager Randy Lambright said if people continue to grow marijuana in their own homes after the federal rules go in effect, they could be in contravention of the City's controlled substance bylaw – as well as any Criminal Code violations.
Licensing for industrial medical marijuana grow ops will be classified as manufacturing.
And while Anderson said the high costs associated with setting up a commercial medical marijuana grow operation in an industrial area could be prohibitive, the City has already had people asking questions.
"There has been some interest expressed in our community on at least three occasions (for an industrial medical marijuana grow op)," Lambright said.
"They'd have to take out a building permit. There would be compliance with building code. It does get it into a more regulated, formalized, structured type of a process."
They'll also have to provide the City and its fire and police departments with notice of application for a growing licence and a copy of the federal licence if they obtain one, he said.
That's a change from the current situation, whereby fire and police are not informed of which homeowners are licensed to grow medical marijuana.
News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: kamloopsnews.ca
Author: Michelle Young
Contact: Contact Us | Kamloops Daily News
Website: Marijuana zoning goes to council | City & Region | Kamloops Daily News
Amendments to the City's zoning bylaw go to council Tuesday as a follow up to changes made to medical marijuana grow regulations made by the federal government last month.
Changes include requiring medical marijuana grow operations to be located in general industrial or heavy industrial areas, with a business licence and ventilation plan.
Local medical marijuana advocate Carl Anderson said Friday the regulations are making it so only the rich can have access to therapeutic pot.
"It's totally ridiculous. If I want to grow marijuana to help sick people, I'm not going to use a million dollars in power to do it," he said.
"If it's grown naturally under the sunlight, it's going to be far superior than anything you can produce under artificial lighting.
Anderson said the way he reads the federal rules, greenhouse growing is allowed as long as it's properly secured. He didn't see that as an option with the City's amendment.
"The City is saying you can't do that: you have to grow it indoors under hydroelectric power and produce an inferior product. I think they don't want any marijuana grown in Kamloops."
City planner Maren Luciani said the federal rules require medical marijuana to be grown indoors.
"There's a heavy security requirement involved as well. They have to meet heavy security requirements," she said.
While greenhouses aren't excluded, the security requirements are rigorous, she said.
Last month, Ottawa outlawed growing medical marijuana at home. Instead, users will have to buy from licensed growers who meet strict conditions. Municipal zoning bylaws would have to be met, the federal rules state.
Health Canada says at the end of last year there were 28,000 people across the country licensed to possess dried medical marijuana; 13,500 of them are in B.C. Those holding production licences number 18,000 Canadawide – half of them in B.C.
Anderson said the new rules make it prohibitively expensive for people with medical marijuana licences to access their medication. He knows one man who would need to spend $3,000 a month to buy marijuana that he grows in his home for $25 to $30 a month.
"I don't know too many people who can afford to fork out three grand a month," he said. He estimates about 100 people in Kamloops use medical marijuana.
"His operation is smaller than a kitchen table, totally self-contained and safe, no threat to anybody or anything. . . . Now the federal government is saying no you can't do that. You have to pay $10 a gram from these indoor producers."
City community development manager Randy Lambright said if people continue to grow marijuana in their own homes after the federal rules go in effect, they could be in contravention of the City's controlled substance bylaw – as well as any Criminal Code violations.
Licensing for industrial medical marijuana grow ops will be classified as manufacturing.
And while Anderson said the high costs associated with setting up a commercial medical marijuana grow operation in an industrial area could be prohibitive, the City has already had people asking questions.
"There has been some interest expressed in our community on at least three occasions (for an industrial medical marijuana grow op)," Lambright said.
"They'd have to take out a building permit. There would be compliance with building code. It does get it into a more regulated, formalized, structured type of a process."
They'll also have to provide the City and its fire and police departments with notice of application for a growing licence and a copy of the federal licence if they obtain one, he said.
That's a change from the current situation, whereby fire and police are not informed of which homeowners are licensed to grow medical marijuana.
News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: kamloopsnews.ca
Author: Michelle Young
Contact: Contact Us | Kamloops Daily News
Website: Marijuana zoning goes to council | City & Region | Kamloops Daily News
