SURREY WATCHING NEARBY BAN ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA GROW-OPS

Surrey is watching closely as the City of Pitt Meadows prepares to ban
people from growing medical marijuana in that municipality.

Health Canada allows the medicinal use of marijuana for several
conditions, including severe pain or muscle spasms from multiple
sclerosis, spinal cord injury or disease, pain or nausea from cancer
or HIV and seizures from epilepsy.

Tonight (Tuesday), Pitt Meadows will hold a public hearing on a bylaw
amendment that would ban the growing of marijuana for medical purposes.

It would become the first city in Canada to disallow the federally
sanctioned activity.

Surrey Fire Chief Len Garis said the Pitt Meadows move is quite bold,
and noted this city has existing bylaws that preclude growers from
conducting business in urban areas.

Because it's a horticultural use, and it is for profit, medical grows
are not allowed in a residential setting, he said.

Garis has long said the medical grows are often wired incorrectly and
pose a high risk of causing a structure fire. He notes that they are
not permitted, regulated or deemed safe by a city inspector.

While Health Canada stipulates permits are required, federal health minister
Leona Aglukkaq wrote in a letter to the Federation of Canadian
Municipalities in April: "Health Canada does not, however, verify compliance
with these requirements either before or after licensing." She also referred
to a "reform exercise" being undertaken.

Health Canada has declined city requests for the locations of the
authorized growers for privacy reasons. Garis said he's also been
unable to find out how many there are.

About 2,800 production licences have been issued to medical marijuana
growers in Canada.

Garis said of the six Lower Mainland municipalities participating in a
new Electrical Fire and Safety Initiative, there have been 50 medical
grow-ops found.

Garis said it's possible Surrey could introduce a similar bylaw to
that of Pitt Meadows, depending on how it stands up to legal challenges.

Surrey is also watching closely to see what the federal government
does with its "reform exercise."

Studies have shown that dwellings with marijuana grow operations are
24 times more likely to catch fire.