Kelowna to allow pot analysis

Photo: Contributed - Canadian Press

Changes to the bylaw governing medical marijuana production facilities are in the works in Kelowna.

City council will be asked Monday to amend the existing bylaw to include analytical testing and to include it as a principal use in the I1 (Business Industrial), I2 (General Industrial), I3 (Heavy Industrial) and I4 (Central Industrial) zones in the city.

The definition of a medical marijuana production facility was adopted by the city last year, but zoning does not currently exist for analytical testing labs.

A staff report prepared for council seeks to differentiate between production facilities and testing labs in the medical marijuana industry with the bylaw change.

"Testing is not required to be in the same facility as the growing operation of a medical marijuana production facility and may be conducted by a third party that is licensed under the Health Canada marijuana for medical purposes regulations," the report states.

"Analytical testing solely permits laboratory testing and excludes the ability to produce, store, sell or destroy a controlled substance. This also allows for the principal use of an analytical testing laboratory separate from medical marijuana production in industrial zones."

The report further states any controlled substance handled in such a lab must be transported, received, tracked and stored in compliance with Health Canada.

The Regional District of Central Okanagan, Chilliwack, Nanaimo and Pemberton are the only jurisdictions in B.C. that recognize lab testing as a principal land use.