Delivery 604-942-3081 • Friday, February 21, 2014
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Your source for local sports, news, weather and entertainment! >> www.burnabynow.com THE CHANGING CITY
Searching for a place to grow pot
Location wanted:
Martin Drobny, left, and Mike Green, right, are struggling to find a location for their medical marijuana production company. Without a location, they can’t submit their application to Health Canada, but they’re hoping they’ll find a home in Burnaby.
Cayley Dobie staff reporter
He knows how much medical marijuana can help a dying man. Several years ago, Martin Drobny’s uncle was diagnosed with cancer and eventually died of the disease. Drobny credits medical marijuana for providing his uncle with some comfort before his death. “And this is a guy who’s never smoked pot in his life,” Drobny says. It was Drobny’s mother who suggested his uncle try medical marijuana to help ease the symptoms of cancer. After seeing the way it helped his uncle, Drobny, a North Vancouver firefighter, talked to his mom about the possibility of becoming a medical marijuana producer under Health Canada’s soon-to-expire Marijuana Medical Access Regulations. “It’s such a good thing,” he said. “It’s incredible when you see the change in people’s lives, and we just want to keep it going.” Under the Marijuana Medical Access
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Regulations, Health Canada allowed private citizens to produce medical marijuana for personal use on a limited scale. Drobny became a licensed producer and was growing medical marijuana for friends and family with ongoing medical problems such as multiple sclerosis, spinal cord issues and cancer.
Jason Lang/ burnaby now
As of April 1, however, Health Canada’s new Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations take effect, voiding all licences issued under the old regulations. The new regulations move the production of medical marijuana out of backyards and residential areas and into large-scale manufacturing facilities.
“We actually have an opportunity to pursue our passions and make a living out of it,” Drobny said. Since Health Canada announced the changes to the medical marijuana production regulations, a number of companies have cropped up across the country. Marijuana Page 3
Burnaby MLA: Families will be hurt by budget Jennifer Moreau staff reporter
The B.C. Liberals managed to balance the latest budget, but the NDP MLA Kathy Corrigan was not impressed with the provincial presentation on Tuesday. “I would say the budget shows absolutely no vision for leadership and developing the province,” said the Burnaby-Deer Lake MLA. “I think families in Burnaby are going to be hurt again by a Liberal bud-
get. If you look at the numbers, British Columbians are going to pay an average of $900 per year more for hydro increases and medical premium increases.” Corrigan said families and students will be hit by the rising costs. “These are regressive taxes. They are not putting costs on the rich, they are putting costs on the average family,” she said. According to Corrigan, hydro rates will cost the average family an extra $477 per
year, while medical premiums will costs an extra $400. Burnaby’s BCIT and SFU, along with post secondary institutions around the province, will also struggle with cuts, according to Corrigan. “And nothing to cover the costs of the provincial government’s loss in court with the teachers,” she said, referring to the recent court decision demanding that the province reinstate 2002 class sizes, something that’s expected to cost hundreds of
millions. “There’s nothing in the budget for that.” On the contrary, Liberal MLA Richard Lee, the only elected politician in Burnaby who sits with the ruling party, was very pleased with the budget. “Thanks to the fiscal discipline exercised by our government, for the second year in a row B.C.’s budget is balanced,” he stated in an email to the NOW. “This Budget Page 8
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