Mississauga set to introduce new medical marijuana rules

Mississauga hopes to become one of the first municipalities in Canada to pass specific bylaws governing medical marijuana grow-ops.

City council is set to vote Wednesday on legislation that would require grow-ops to follow certain regulations in terms of odour and safety and be regularly inspected. Currently, the federal government dictateswhere grow-ops can set up and what features the facilities need.

The medical marijuana industryis worth billions and is expected to grow dramatically in the coming years.

• Medical marijuana licence applications up, but approvals slow
• CAMH calls for legalization of marijuana

Mississauga Coun. Ron Starr said the goal is get some control overgrow-ops and make them blend into the communitybetter.

"If you have one of these beside you in an industrial building you'll not even know its there,"Starr said.

The municipality would also require grow-ops to buy a $500 licence.

It would also let people like Jon Messenger, who runs a heating andair conditioning business near a grow-op, to file complaints with the city. He told CBC Toronto the smell from a nearby facility is currently unbearable.

You'd swear we were growing it in our office, he said.

Other nearby municipalities,like Hamilton, have used building codes and other local regulations to exert some control over grow-ops, but Mississauga is going a step further.

Coun.Jim Toveysays the city is forced to act because Health Canada is more concerned with making sure medical marijuana doesnt become part of the black market rather than its impact on municipalities.

Ive spoken to a lot of residents about this. Theyre like great. This is good. Its really good the city of Mississauga is being proactive in protecting our families, Tovey said.