The City of Windsor is starting to look at the possibility of businesses setting up shop to produce medical marijuana.

But before a company applies to grow marijuana, they have to inform the municipality.

On Monday night, members of Windsor's planning and economic development committee, approved two reports that clarified the process.

At the meeting, council heard a company called Medical Marihuana Patient Relief has taken that first step.

They informed city officials of its intent to apply to become a licensed producer.

If a company wants to produce medicinal marijuana here, it has to be in an area that is already zoned as industrial.

In the letter, the chosen site mentioned 7950 Anchor Dr.

The company would also have to contact fire, police and the city's chief building official before making an application to Health Canada.

Coun. Drew Dilkens is one of the committee members. He said he's open to this type of enterprise.

"Hey you know what? It's a tax paying business. It provides jobs for people and it's highly regulated," he said. "I think that's the one part that needs to be stressed here. It's a very highly regulated business and these facilities are built. They almost looking like mini Fort Knox. There's video security, on-site security. There's large fences, and the material that is taken out is often trucked out by armoured car."

Municipal affairs expert and University of Windsor professor Cheryl Collier says allowing the medical pot industry is also a question of economic development.

"There's a suggestion that medicinal marijuana could become a billion dollar industry over the next decade with the numbers of licensed marijuana users actually multiplying ten fold over that decade, so there's a lot of potential here.

Up until now, Health Canada has approved six companies to grow the product.

There are 400 other applications.

In January CEN Biotech announced its desire to set up a facility in Lakeshore and E.C. Green is hoping to grow medical marijuana in Tecumseh.

As of April 1, medicinal marijuana users will have to buy from licensed facilities.

This creates an industry that didn't exist before.