A steady stream of criminal record check requests is piling up on Creston RCMP Staff Sgt. Bob Gollan’s desk at such an alarming rate that he has been forced to institute guidelines before accepting them for processing.
“These are for people who want to apply for licenses to grow medical marijuana,” he said, pointing to the pile of papers. “But most of them haven’t addressed the requirements set out, so it’s a waste of our tight resources to conduct every request.”
Gollan said the applications are being fuelled by the federal government’s plan to start licensing private medical marijuana producers in 2014. But approved producers will have to meet a number of strict criteria, starting with meeting local government regulations.
“There are people who think they are going to grow medical marijuana in their homes,” he said. “But that wouldn’t be allowed in Town of Creston or RDCK (Regional District of Central Kootenay) zoning bylaws.”
Gollan said he has no issue with authorizing the record checks for applicants that have a plan that includes meeting local bylaws and meeting the onerous security requirements for the premises.