Police monitoring marijuana grow-op
Highway 7 site believed to be operating legally
BRESLAU — Waterloo Regional Police say they’re monitoring a large marijuana growop at the former Waterloo Flowers greenhouse site — and believe it’s operating within the law for medical marijuana for “personal consumption.”
The site isn’t owned by one of the 28 federally licensed producers in Ontario that supply’s Canada’s mail-order medical marijuana, and its less-than-discreet cannabis production beside a busy Highway 7 has prompted rampant speculation among neighbours.
But police say they believe the former greenhouse and garden centre is growing marijuana for personal use under Canada’s evolving medical marijuana rules — a system that allows a person to grow up to 244 plants at a time.
Those same rules also allow a so-called “home grower” to have as much as 10 kilograms of dried medical marijuana at any time.
The owner of the former greenhouse, however, has been less than upfront about what he’s doing. A numbered company registered in Toronto bought the site in December for $1.35-million.
When visited by a reporter,
the property’s manager denied he was growing anything at all. But it’s been a busy place, with a large-scale harvesting operation and workers using a forklift to load a truck backed up to the greenhouse in recent days.
For police, it’s a bizarre situation where they have to make sure the law is being enforced, but have to be wary of privacy rules around releasing personal medical information.
“We’re caught between a rock and a hard place,” said Insp. Mike Haffner, the police service’s executive officer.
Health Canada, meanwhile, wouldn’t confirm the site’s owner has a medical marijuana licence, citing confidentiality.
Waterloo Regional Police say the grow-op has been on their radar for a few months, but couldn’t say if officers have visited the site to confirm if it’s abiding by restrictions around growing medical marijuana.
“We’ve been aware of it since February 2017, and have been monitoring it,” Insp. Haffner said.
“It’s a big operation, but they’re allowed so many plants and so many kilograms for medical purposes. If they follow that, they’re good, if they go over it, that’s where we connect with Health Canada to enforce it.”
Health Canada recommends so-called “home growers” use security measures such as a tall fence with a locking gate or alarm system outdoors. But the former Waterloo Flowers site has remarkably lax security — cannabis plants can been seen growing in between gaps in the greenhouse walls — and a fence is only partially built around the property.
But police say they’re watching the greenhouse and don’t plan to stop the operation’s production cycle, as long as they play by the rules.
“As long as they don’t deviate from the rules and regulations, they’re good to go,” Insp. Haffner said. “But if there’s any deviation from their licence, they lose their licence.”