GROUP WANTS MUNICIPAL PARTICIPATION IN MEDICAL MARIJUANA OPERATIONS

Police Services Board: Recommendations include screening, overseeing sites

PORT HOPE -- The Port Hope-area Marijuana Focus Group wants Port Hope
police to get involved in screening people and overseeing
grow-operations designated by Health Canada to grow marijuana for
medical purposes.

The group, led by chair Leigh Winfield of RR3 Port Hope, focused its
attention on recommendations concerning the "designated-person
production licence" and its concerns about the personal-use production
licence, states a letter received by the Port Hope Police Services
Board at its monthly meeting Oct. 21.

"...If any of our recommendations (to Health Canada) become part of
the regulations, there will be onus on the municipality to perform due
diligence reviews of a Designated-Person Production Licence
applicants' documentation prior to Health Canada considering the
actual application," Winfield states in her letter of Sept 9.

"As it currently stands... the holder (of the licence) does not
actually apply for a licence and that is what is so disconcerting to
our group," she also states.

The group is also asking the municipality, and the police services
board, to implement their recommendations pertaining to the safety and
security of residents.

"We, the ratepayers, have rights to a safe and secure
environment."

The police services board received the package for information after
OPP Inspector Doug Borton said that the recommendations were also
being sent to bodies beyond just Health Canada, including to the OPP
and Canadian and Ontario police associations.

The local focus group was formed because of the "construction of a
large facility by a designated-person production licence holder for
the purported purpose of supplying products to holders of a
personal-use production licence," states a separate letter to Health
Canada from Winfield.

While the group supports the use of marijuana being used for medical
purposes, it is suggesting no production take place until "designated
to do so in a personal-use production licence" with municipal
notification in order to monitor it -and protect its citizens,
Winfield's letter to Health Canada also states.

The group suggests the following additions to an application before it
is approved: a site plan, environmental assessment, registration with
the local police board after approval by the municipality, that
security be in place, there be scheduled inspections by health, fire
and police authorities, plus insurance.