Will the province keep marijuana grow operations off farmland?
The province’s advisory committee on how the Agricultural Land Reserve could be revitalized, which will make its recommendations to the government in the summer, has heard from those concerned about food security if ALR land is allowed to convert to legalized recreational pot. So far, the government hasn’t given any indication to will restrict marijuana grow ops to industrial zones, which has Delta South MLA Ian Paton, the Liberal agriculture critic, concerned.
“The most controversial thing in the 1980s was greenhouses going on prime agricultural land, class one and class two soils in Delta. Finally, the farming community caved in and said, ‘OK, we’re going to stand behind you because it’s big-time food production,” he told the Optimist recently.
“Well, here it is in 2018, but now they’re not going to grow food anymore. They’re going to grow what was an illegal drug up until this summer,” he said.
Paton noted he was encouraged that Solicitor General Mike Farnworth seemed receptive to his views when they discussed the issue.
The Union of BC Municipalities submission to the advisory committee stated, “UBCM has significant concerns that this activity is better characterized as an industrial use rather than an agricultural use. It is our understanding that although outdoor growing may be an option, cannabis production facilities would most likely include greenhouses or fully enclosed buildings and that light pollution, odour, and accessory uses may be problematic.”
This spring, a Central Saanich-based advocacy group called Citizens Protecting Agricultural Land delivered a petition with over 1,400 signatures to the B.C. Legislature, urging the province to prohibit marijuana grow operations on the ALR.
Two large-scale Delta grow operations are already fully converting their operation to cannabis.
Legalization of recreational pot moved a step forward last week when the Senate passed an historic bill to legalize recreational marijuana. The bill headed back to the House of Commons where some amendments made by the upper house weren't well received.
