Tecumseh council approves rezoning for growth of

Tecumseh council approves rezoning for growth of medical marijuana
The Windsor Star -
August 14, 2014



Tecumseh is hoping production of medical marijuana proves to be a growth industry for the town.

Council on Tuesday night approved rezoning for two more properties to allow for manufacturing of the product.

The properties are located in the 5300 block of Walker Road and 5100 block of Halford Drive — and they join a third property within the town on Blackacre Drive which was also recently rezoned for the same purpose.

Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara indicated the rezoning is only the first step in a bid to create medical marijuana facilities and potentially create up to 80 jobs should all three be able to secure approvals from the federal government and Health Canada.

“We look at it as just another industry,” he said. “The federal government is going in this direction to have better and tighter controls (on medical marijuana) so people don’t try to grow their own.

“They still have a mountain to climb to get a licence. The zoning doesn’t guarantee a license. Out of three you may get three, one or none of them.”

Both police and fire service agencies in Tecumseh signed off with no concerns, McNamara said.

Security for the marijuana — if approved in Tecumseh — will be supervised by RCMP, the mayor said.

“We don’t have any real negatives,” McNamara said. “The biggest thing is to overcome the stigma, but more and more Canadians are dependent on medical marijuana.

“We look at it as another pharmaceutical company and it is highly regulated.”

McNamara guessed it could take up to a year before the application process is completed and the town will learn whether those applying to produce medical marijuana in Tecumseh receive the necessary federal approvals.

“It is a job creator,” he said. “And these would be highly-skilled and well-paid jobs.