Olds is being considered as a potential home for a medical marijuana business.Norm McInnis, the Town of Olds' chief administrative officer, confirmed that a business owner from out of town is looking at a number of communities in Alberta to set up shop and Olds is on his list.“There's a fellow looking to make application through the federal program and he's looking at Olds but it's nowhere near being anywhere formalized at this point,” McInnis said on March 28.He added he had few details about the individual's interest in the community other than he is looking to set up a medical marijuana business under a new federal protocol.McInnis also said he wasn't sure what town policies would need to be considered if a formal business application came to town staff.He guessed staff would have to look at changing the land use bylaw to allow for a discretionary use in whatever part of the community the business was established, should the project get off the ground in Olds.“I would doubt if there's any permitted use for that type of thing at this point in time. It would be a fairly significant process we'd have to go through.”Mountain View County updated its land use bylaw on March 12 with land use regulations relating to medical marijuana.The updated bylaw requires medical marijuana facilities to be based in business park districts and heavy industrial districts and such facilities must adhere to a number of regulations, including the requirement for a safety and risk assessment.Releaf Inc. is currently building a medical marijuana facility under a Health Canada licence north of Cremona.With new federal regulations regarding the production of medical marijuana taking effect on April 1, McInnis said he wasn't sure if the person interested in setting up the medical marijuana-based business in Olds or other communities would change his plans.Ottawa announced on March 14 that as of April 1, “the only legal source of marijuana will be produced under secure and quality-controlled conditions by licensed producers.”“Licensed producers will have to comply with strict regulatory requirements to demonstrate security and quality,” a government media release states. “Possession and use of marijuana remains illegal in Canada unless authorized under the regulations with the support of a doctor or nurse practitioner.”Staff Sgt. Joe Sangster, commander of the Olds RCMP detachment, declined to comment on the possibility of a medical marijuana facility coming to Olds.But McInnis said if the concept ever evolves beyond potential interest in setting up such a facility in Olds, there is a possibility the town would allow such a development.“From an economic development standpoint, it's an interesting discussion to have,” he [email protected]
