Provincial program aims to help marijuana growers enter legal market

Che' LeBlanc started growing marijuana before he sat at a desk in high school. He learned the craft at the foot of his father, who was also a pot grower.

"One of my first memories are in fact crawling up the rows of plants with the bright lights hanging above," saidLeBlanc.

LeBlanc lives south of Nelson, B.C., near the U.S. border, and growing pot has been a passion for him his entireadult life.

He's not the only person in this mountainous region of B.C. who is skilled at growing marijuana. "The Kootenays have some of the best growers I've ever seen," he said.

"There is a reason B.C. bud is recognized internationally. Part of it is theclimate and the rest is the community."

The B.C. government has also recognized thepool of skilledpot growers in the Kootenays. To that end, it's funded a pilot project aimed at helping veteran pot growers obtain licences to open legal operations.

The province's motivationis to one day capture a portion of the tax revenue the growersgenerate as legal, licensed businesses.

LeBlancis one of the first participants. He wants to grow a lot of marijuana, far more than his personal production licence allows, and has signed up for the pilot project,which pairs marijuana growers with a cannabis transition team.

The B.C. government hasinvested $675,000in the transition team that will help growersobtainrecreational licences and start above-ground pot -based businesses.

'Second to none' in expertise

"They have an understanding of the plant, they have an understanding of cultivation and I would say that is probably second to none in the world", said Paul Kelly, the manager of the cannabis transition team. "And so our objective is to help them navigate the new regulatory process."

Kelly says it's estimated there are 2,500 marijuana growers in the Nelson area.

Many are authorized to grow medical marijuana, but most growers are not making anattempt to get recreational permits because the regulations are cumbersome and expensive.

"The new industry is heavy in documentation, heavy in regulation," said Kelly. "So we are helping with those systems so growers can be successful in the new economy."

Five growers including Che' LeBlanc are the first in the program as a form of pilot, but the team is hoping many more sign up in the New Year.

LeBlanc's plan is to grow recreational pot on three football-field sized plots he's had cleared deep in the bush.

With the help of his transition team, the first is already gated and fenced in.

"We have a clear communication with Health Canada, we have the support of them to go through the application to help us make sure we are going to get his approved the first time," he said. "It's a very valuable asset to us".