Growing medical marijuana on farmland in Abbotsford has been given its first green light by council.
The move will bring the city in line with a provincial government announcement this May, which allows medical marijuana to be grown on the Agricultural Land Reserve – provincially regulated farmland.
Five bylaws are to be amended, including zoning, business licences, buildings, enforcement and municipal ticketing. The changes were approved unanimously without much debate, after Mayor Henry Braun explained the provincial requirement and strict Health Canada licensing rules for growers.
People growing medical marijuana have to go through a strict federal background check, and are limited in how many plants they can grow.
Coun. Moe Gill asked whether medical marijuana growers in Abbotsford would be able to sell their product at roadside stands, but the only Health Canada-approved method for distributing medical marijuana is sending it directly to patients by mail order.