A local Member of Parliament has supported a petition by the mayor of Leamington for better oversight in medical cannabis production.
Conservative MP Dave Epp of Chatham-Kent-Leamington voiced his backing of the petition from Mayor Hilda MacDonald, which asks the federal government to provide more guidance in the production of medical cannabis, as well as reforms for licencing of growing operations.
Epp said this petition is necessary to address the spread of illicit grow-up operations in and around Leamington.
"Currently, many medical cannabis growing licenses are abused, and the excess that is grown is diverted for commercial sale on the black market," said Epp in a statement. "These illegal grow-ops have negative impacts on our neighbourhoods by generating unpleasant odours, increasing traffic levels, and reducing property values."
The MPP said recent raids by the OPP on some of these illicit grow-ops is a start, but it's not consistent.
"Municipal law enforcement has little to no power over these grow-ops, resulting in infrequent action to prevent their operations," said Epp. "We commend the recent raids and arrests by the OPP, but understand that current regulations drastically hinder their abilities to address these operations as well."
Epp has called for more federal oversight into cannabis production in an effort to weed out the borderline and illegal operations.
The petition is available for signatures on the official House of Commons website.