CITY WANTS TO SMOKE OUT GROWERS

Mayor says city should have the right to know who's growing marijuana
for medicinal reasons

There may be as many as 100 medical marijuana growers in Chilliwack,
but despite the threat to public safety posed by some of these
operations, there is no way for the city, the RCMP or the fire
department to find out where they are located.

Mayor Sharon Gaetz brought the issue up after it was raised at the
recent Union of B.C. Municipalities convention in Vancouver at which
the Fire Chiefs' Association of B.C. tried to garner support from the
municipal leaders.

"We're concerned about the health, safety and welfare of the public
and firefighters who unsuspectingly and increasingly come into contact
with the dangers associated with these operations," Stephen Gamble,
Port Coquitlam's fire chief, and president of the Fire Chiefs'
Association of B.C. told the Vancouver Sun in an interview.

According to Health Canada spokesman Stephane Shank, there are 4,580
persons in Canada authorized to possess marijuana under the Marijuana
Medical Access Regulations (MMAR), of which 1,218 live in B.C.

Gaetz told the Times there are about 100 medical marijuana growers in
Chilliwack each of which are allowed to grow 30 plants for personal
use or as many as 98 plants if they grow for two others.

"I think when the Ministry of Health are thinking about this, 30
window sill plants are what they have in mind, not 30 big plants with
grow lights and the fertilizers they use in order to grow marijuana,"
she said. "That's a problem because these guys are supposed to have
electrical permits but nobody really knows if they do. We can't go
inspect for privacy reasons, nor can the police or the fire
department."

Gaetz is on board with the fire chiefs who are concerned about safety
for firefighters that may have to attend to fires at homes with
grow-ops, some of which might be legal, but still have dangerous
electrical systems.

"It can lead to dangerous situations if you cannot know if they are
growing 98 plants or a 1,000," she said.

Gamble said it was time for municipalities to become involved in the
regulation and use of private homes for growing medicinal marijuana
and for them to be inspected to ensure they meet electrical and
building standards.

But because of the secrecy, Gamble said local governments have no idea
how many legal operations are in their communities or who is growing
marijuana.

Gaetz said agrees that municipalities should be involved. She has been
told the Ministry of Health has inspectors but she isn't sure if
that's even true.

"We've never seen one or heard of one in the City of Chilliwack," she
said. "We want to ask her where they are. We wouldn't be averse to
doing these inspections at a fee for service."

Asked if any legal growing operation had caused a fire, Gamble said he
wasn't aware of any. But the association wants legal operations to be
municipally regulated to ensure compliance with electrical and
building standards.

At the recent UBCM convention, a resolution from Surrey called for
Health Canada to require legal marijuana growers to demonstrate they
were complying with all local health and safety bylaws before being
issued a licence. It also asked for local governments to be told who
held such licences.

But the delegates were talked out of it by Victoria Coun. Philippe
Lucas, who holds a licence to produce and possess marijuana and is a
graduate research fellow with the Centre for Addiction Research of
B.C. Lucas has usedmedicinal marijuana since contracting Hepatitis C
in 1982 following a blood transfusion.

Lucas said licensed growers use equipment no different from "someone
wanting to grow tomatoes" and as far as he knew there had never been a
fire associated with a legal marijuana-growing operation. "You run a
higher risk of fire if you cook at home," he said.

As for divulging the identity of licensed growers to local
authorities, it would be "constitutionally illegal for Health Canada
to do that as it would be a gross violation of a person's privacy
rights," he said.

- - with files from the Vancouver Sun