WEST CARLETON – City politicians are streamlining the process allowing the rural agriculture industry to start growing medical marijuana in existing greenhouses.

During the June 6 Agriculture and Rural Affairs committee (ARAC), the committee, chaired by Coun. Eli El-Chantiry approved a zoning amendment that creates a new land use for cannabis production facilities.

“The motion itself is to streamline the language from the city zoning by-law to match what the federal government is doing,” El-Chantiry told West Carleton Online at the Rural Expo earlier this month. “This is all to deal with medicinal marijuana. What we added to help our folks in the rural area is to be able to use some greenhouses capacity if they choose to grow medicinal marijuana.”

The new use would replace the section on medical marijuana production facilities, and it would essentially be permitted in the same zones where medical marijuana production is currently permitted, with a few additional yet limited permissions in other zones appropriate for outdoor cultivation and micro-processing.

“So, you will see the language is comparable with medical marijuana at the federal level,” El-Chantiry said. “If we have an application from someone who wants to grow medical marijuana we will see the process streamlined. If Health Canada says yes you are allowed to grow, the city zoning has that criteria so you can proceed more smoothly. We added on if you have an existing greenhouse and you would like to add that to your farming, you will be allowed.”

This will bring the zoning by-law permissions in line with the federal Cannabis Act.

“We have heard some concerns that allowing greenhouse cultivation as of right now might lead to the loss of prime agricultural land, so the amendment also specifies that cultivation will need to happen outdoors only,” El-Chantiry said. “Producers would need to get a minor variance to grow cannabis in greenhouses.”

El-Chantiry says he expects this will pass easily when it goes for council approval.

“The motion actually came to the Planning committee and was passed and came to ARAC and passed there,” El-Chantiry said. “You can well imagine when it comes to council it will probably pass there because between the two committees we make up 75 per cent of council.”

El-Chantiry stresses this zoning change only refers to medical marijuana.