Kelowna council growing fond of grow ops

Kelowna council growing fond of grow ops

It was only a few weeks ago when Kelowna council voted to ban medical marijuana grows from agriculture land and restrict them to industrial zones, but a lot has changed since that unanimous vote.

A majority of council has since changed its mind — allowing individual medical marijuana applicants who want to grow on agriculture land — to be heard on a case by case basis.

Councillor Mohini Singh says her biggest concern was seeing bunker-like medical marijuana grows on agriculture land popping up on Kelowna’s precious farmland.

“What I don’t want to see is to have these facilities close to residential areas because I don’t think the public would be comfortable living next to a facility like that, even if it’s on ALR land. So, I would like to see each case determined on its own merit.”

Former Kelowna fire chief Gerry Zimmerman admits his opinion on marijuana has changed dramatically after he and some fellow councillors recently toured a farm based medical grow op.

“We were invited to go look at a medical facility, a currently licensed medical facility that was on farmland and I’m really glad we did because that changed my mind and I think some of my colleagues’ minds to.”

A total of five councillors took the tour of the facility. All of them voted in favour of allowing medical grows on ALR land.

But not all of council is on board with allowing medical grows on agriculture land. Councillor Gail Given voted against the proposed changes. She says allowing grows on all ALR land is too much.

“Do I disagree with them? No I don’t. I voted against it because I think we’re a little bit early in to say all ALR”

But Kelowna lawyer, Jennifer Thorne, who specializes in medical marijuana cases, says deciding ALR applications on a case by case basis could open to the door to litigation.

“That’s my concern and I think that if there are not some criteria applied equally across the board, it could invite litigation by unsatisfied applicants.”

http://globalnews.ca/news/1221778/watch-kelowna-council-growing-fond-of-grow-ops/