RESIDENTS UPSET BY POT FACTORY

Get the medicinal marijuana grow operation out of our community.

At its Oct. 15 meeting, the Queensborough Ratepayers' Association vowed to
lobby hard to get the recently established Marijuana Factory out of
Queensborough.

The Marijuana Factory officially opened on Sept. 30 by providing tours to
the media. Specifics of its location, however, must be kept secret under the
federal Privacy Act.

Present to answer questions at the Queensborough meeting were Insp. Dave
Jones of New Westminster police and Keith Coueffin of the city's strategic
services department.

Coueffin said city hall found out about the Health Canada-licensed grow op
only from media reports - the federal government alerted neither city hall
nor police to its presence.

A medicinal marijuana grow op requires only the approval of the property
owner, Coueffin said, which the Queensborough operation has.

Coueffin noted the city has written to the federal government asking that
the operation cease until the city can make sure it complies with health and
safety regulations. While explaining that the city is researching legal
solutions, he pointed out that the medical marijuana legislation was
initiated by a senior level of government with vast legal resources.

There is currently a challenge to an Ontario court decision regarding the
legislation, Jones said.

"It (the legislation) seems to be hastily put together."

Jones said the city is focusing on the safety aspects of growing marijuana
in a residential home. He said potential health hazards may include moulds
and spores, fire hazards, plus the safety of inhabitants if others discover
where the operation is.

Jones pointed out that the federal government had tried to grow legal
marijuana itself in a potash mine, but wasn't successful.

To laughter, he added: "Then they thought, 'Hey, there are some people in
B.C. who know how to grow it.'"

Asked how police know who is allowed to possess medical marijuana, Jones
said everyone who does must carry a permit. Health Canada issues permits to
grow it and possess it.

In Queensborough, the Marijuana Factory is growing marijuana on behalf of
three people with licences. Jones explained that because not everyone who
needs medicinal marijuana can grow it, a person can be licensed to grow it
for another person. One location can grow marijuana for a maximum of three
people.

Asked who polices the licences, Jones replied: "This is a Health Canada
initiative, and it has inspectors. Not to say they rushed this through (to
audience laughter) - but there are no inspectors in British Columbia."

To shut down the grow op, Jones said, support is needed.

"If we can get the director (of Cannabis Access at Health Canada) to revoke
the permits, we're on our way."

City councillor Casey Cook suggested that letters written should emphasize
that a marijuana grow op doesn't conform to community standards in terms of
health and safety.

Mayor Helen Sparkes suggested that residents could bombard Liberal Members
of Parliament, possibly those in Vancouver, with their protests.

One resident pointed out that writing MPs is free - you can write as many
letters to as many MPs as you want.

Another resident suggested finding the grow op and pressuring the growers to
leave.

Insp. Jones cautioned against such action, noting that the Queensborough
Marijuana Factory might not be the only legal grow op in the city. Noting
that the federal government won't tell even the police where they are,
others could be located throughout the city.

"There could be one above the police station - there are condos up there."

Despite the public outcry, a licencee at the Marijuana Factory told The
Record that residents needn't be worried.

"There's been no electrical adapting, no plumbing adapting done - someone's
living there so they wouldn't do anything to compromise their safety in
their own home. These concerns are all unfounded," he said.

He said the growers have had concerns expressed from the city because the
operation is being compared to an illegal grow op.

"This is totally different. There are no holes in the wall, no making of
adaptations, no damages..."

As for spores and mold, he said the house has air conditioning and other
temperature controls. "So there won't be any mold... We open up some windows
and allow the breeze to blow through."

He also said it's not a big operation. It uses one light and will be growing
a maximum of 100 plants.

Asked if he's worried about break-ins or home invasions, he said, no, as
long as no one reveals the location. "There's a dog on the premises, there's
video surveillance, double bars on the door, an alarm system, and someone's
there all the time."

The Marijuana Factory will be holding a "ceremonial harvest" in the new
year, he said, after which the crop will be processed into balls for
ingesting.

He said the licencees mix it in foods such as soup, cookies and butter.