Regional District to Develop Zoning for Marihuana Grow Ops
Prince George, B.C.- The Regional District of Fraser Fort George has unanimously approved having staff come back with a plan that would designate areas where licensed marihuana production could take place.
The call is the result of changes being made by the Federal Government. The existing system that allows medical marihuana to be grown in urban homes is about to be phased out. “That system was problematic” says Director Dave Wilbur.
There were concerns raised by municipalities over not being able to know where such grow ops were located, safety issues on hydro connections and the operations becoming targets for gang “hits”. Certainly there have been a number of cases where the number of plants being grown, far exceeded the terms of the license.
“In place of that” says Director Wilbur, “growing will be controlled and determined by the Federal Government, so personal growing will no longer be going to occur. In order to facilitate the position the Regional District might have in this, we’re putting forward a change that would allow areas to be designated through zoning that would be appropriate, and they do not include residential as I would understand it.”
Under the new system, which will come into effect in April of 2014, a licensed marihuana grow operation would have to be located on property that is zoned for agriculture. But the Regional District says there should be some clarification on which parcels of such land would be best suited for such “manufacturing” taking into account those security concerns and any possible conflicts in land use. Basically, it is a way for the Regional District to know where such legal marihuana manufacturing is planned, and to have a say on whether that location would be appropriate.
Comments
I wonder if the zoning for these grow ops will be as heated and contentious as was Haldi Rd. school. Would be nice if they threw the clippings in the dumpster just over the fence.
Harbinger – Read the article – Would you believe Director Wilbur?
“putting forward a change that would allow areas to be designated through zoning that would be appropriate, and they do not include residential as I would understand it.â
No residential neighborhoods? So would it be fair to say it should be going into the ALR? ALR has been changed so much these past few years – even that is not safe anymore….
After the Haldi fiasco and a few others I would not be trusting him in anything.
The new system will be coming into effect in 2014 – There will be major changes to the Regional District OCP.
spell check much?
Marihuana … is a 1936 exploitation film directed by Dwain Esper, and written by Esper’s wife, Hildegarde Stadie. … source Wikipedia
One thing I’ve never understood about medicinal marijuana – why wouldn’t pharmaceutical manufacturers extract whatever ingredient works the magic and put it in a pill or something? Surely, smoking anything can’t be good for your lungs, particularly if you have health issues to start with.
here is a link for you tarnfeather
http://michiganmedicalmarijuana.org/page/articles/health/ingestion-methods
lots of alternatives to smoking it :) stay healthy ;->
Anybody want to bet that organized crime will be in line to get their license for these corporate marijuana grow-ops?
“why wouldn’t pharmaceutical manufacturers extract whatever ingredient works the magic and put it in a pill or something?”
They did in the late 70’s and early 80’s.
Don’t bother to quibble the dates, I may not be accurately remembering, but I am correct about the activity.
Test subjects did not derive the expected or desired result.
It seems that it is more complicated than a single component or combination of raw components, and it takes burning to transform the raw plant components into the active substance.
d9 THC, d9-TetraHydroCannabinol (d9 THC, Dronabinol, Cesamet, Nabilone, Marinol) has been identified as the active ingredient.
What a lot of blather from the Regional District and Mr. Wilbur;
“and they do not include residential as I would understand it.â
Ya, no one lives out there in the ALR Wilbur, no one who is important to you anyway.
It could come as a severe shock to the board of the Regional District, but us country bumpkins might not appreciate having even a licensed grow op next to where we live and work the land. Just because these operations will be licensed by the government does not mean that gangs and their ilk will not be sniffing around and perhaps intruding on the wrong address. Will our families be protected from the criminal element under the terms of the growers’ license? Of course not.
Call it NIMBY if you want, but who would want this kind of operation next to where they raise their kids?
metalman.
my2bits:” Anybody want to bet that organized crime will be in line to get their license for these corporate marijuana grow-ops?”
Holy crap my2bits, I had not considered that! Of course that IS going to happen. Now I am feeling even more concerned. Sheesh.
metalman.
if they are licensed, then they are not engaging in a criminal act. Other activities may be criminal, and they may associate with other criminal elements, but a licensed producer is legal.
Maybe this could be an opportunity for them to leave the criminal life.
Have hope and believe in the goodness of being human.
I am now totally convinced that we are surrounded by idiots!
“if they are licensed, then they are not engaging in a criminal act”
“a licensed producer is legal”
On what planet can you make that claim?
On the planet where a license is perceived as an authorization by the ruling government to do the activity.
If you do not have a driver’s “license”, it is not legal for you to drive.
If you do have a “license”, then you are permitted to drive.
what does license mean on your planet?
This grow op system is being set up so that only those with connections and a healthy bank account will get in on it.
Sorry Loki but just because someone has a licence doesn’t mean they are not engaging in a criminal act. Better think about how you put your thoughts into print. Your post above leaves one thinking if they are licensed they can’t possibly do anything illegal.
Aha don’t worry. Big Tobacco will take over all the grow operations. They have the know how and moxy to do it. They will collect the taxes for the feds and when it’s “Legalized” they will just put it out like normal smokes.
The security one would need for a legal grow op would make your head spin. Issues with the hoods, you bet and this is Canada so forget the armed guards patrolling the property.
Just another big joke all around.
“if they are licensed they can’t possibly do anything illegal”
Simple example for Dragonmaster’s correct position …
Take a person who has a license to drive a car.
She drives the car after some binge drinking and kills a pedestrian.
She has done an illegal act even though she had a license to drive the car.
What is missing, is that she did not have a license to drive the car while intoxicated.
Skimming. They could take a quarter of their product and sell in the open market. If audited they could claim the harvest was low.
If you grow just six marijuana plants be prepared to spend six months in jail, under the Harper Government’s new “tougher” drug laws.
So now we will have a situation where the RCMP will be coming after you for growing pot plants, and if you steal those pot plants from a licensed grower, the RCMP will be coming after you, but I think the changes will be less sever.
Think about it, get caught growing 6 plants go to jail for 6 months, get caught with 6 stolen plants get a fine or way less jail time for possession of stolen property!
Looks like there will be a better payoff, risk wise, to steal from these licensed growers than growing your own! Yup it will be open season on these licensed growers⦠Harper, you are such an IDIOT!!!
*charges* I agree, this site needs an edit function!
if they are licensed to grow, then they are not engaging in a criminal act while engaged in the growing of the crop.
That is not to say that they are not also engaged in other acts that are illegal. The point is that a license grants permission to grow.
Nothing illegal about that as long as they stay within the constraints of their permit.
Injecting other words into my statements is putting words in my mouth. Keep to the statement as presented. License equals permission or legal right to pursue the activity.
Of course, Gus’ statements are correct in that as long as the driver is not intoxicated or in contravention of other statutes while driving, then they are legal until contravening laws pertaining to driving. Their criminal history has no bearing on the license status until a relevant contravention of law (breaking the law like speeding or being intoxicated while driving) occurs.
Someone growing for medicinal purposes can produce a gram for $1 a gram in a home operation, but the government rate for government approved growers will be $10 a gram.
If a medicinal user needs 10 grams a day to make brownies that are effective, then their $10 a day cost now jumps to $100 a day. Therefor this new large grower plan of Harpers is not designed to help those who use it for medicinal purposes, but rather to monopolize the industry for a select few with deep pockets.
If the going rate on the street is anywhere from $125 to $200 an ounce, or $4-$7 a gram, then the government price of $10 a gram is not likely to see a lot of illegal growers going out of business.
So the whole plan looks like it will be a failure and is more than likely just a plot to remove the legal protection medicinal growers have when growing in their own homes. The end result will be more illegal home grow operations and more profits for the criminal element, and like the United States more people filling up the prisons for marijuana related offense taking up the space that would otherwise be filled with rapists, thieves, and murderers.
No wonder Harper is looking at private prisons in Canada. He is going to need all those new spaces to put all the criminals he is anticipating.
Time Will Tell
Skimming. They could take a quarter of their product and sell in the open market. If audited they could claim the harvest was low.
Too bad prisons are such a big money maker. Think of how much time, money and effort is wasted on the war against weed. I’m neither for nor against but something has to be done to take away the “power” of the gangs that control the drug trade. If I wanted to smoke a couple joints, I have to buy from most likely OC. I also have to worry about the quality and additives to the weed. Or they could change the laws to regulate and tax it. I don’t believe weed causes any more harm than booze or cigs do and those are readily available. Not to mention the added benefit of legally being able to grow hemp.
Weed is now legal in Colorado. I am curious to see if there is an increase in criminal activity associated with the new law.
“There were concerns raised by municipalities over not being able to know where such grow ops were located, safety issues on hydro connections and the operations becoming targets for gang âhitsâ.” .. yah, like making them larger and put in rural areas will no longer make them targets for gangs. Morons.
Oh, by the way. Gangs and thieves target banks, which are also legal institutions, so just because they are going to be regulated more won’t keep them safe.
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