The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Not too long ago, Flin Flon was known for three things Ñ mining, hockey and frigid winter temperatures. In recent years, however, the community's name has been attached to the medicinal marijuana debate in both the national and international media. Of course, that's to be expected. Flin Flon is, after all, home to the trailblazing initiative of Health Canada to grow medical pot underground at Trout Lake. This may leave some residents worried that the community has, if even in a small way, been reduced to a punchline for a plethora of pot jokes. But Mayor Dennis Ballard doesn't feel that's the case at all. In fact, he finds that Flin Flon's marijuana connection is more or less a non-issue at this point. "I don't think we are known for marijuana," he said. "My best guess is that we're still known for hockey and mining and the cold and the isolation Ñ all the standard things we always were known for." Of course, marijuana Ñ more specifically, the medicinal marijuana operation at Trout Lake Ñ was a hot topic in town back in 2001, the year the operation was officially launched. With major media outlets, including CNN and the New York Times, providing coverage, reporters all over the world were mentioning (and at times mispronouncing) "Flin Flon" in their pieces. In Mayor Ballard's view, the frenzy surrounding the project has long since subsided. "People used to say we were 'the marijuana growing capital of the world,'" he said. "I don't think anyone believed that. It was just a place where they did grow it." During his many job-related trips outside of the community, the mayor rarely hears a mention of the pot. "Generally speaking, every once in a while, somebody mentions something about it," he said, "but we're far more likely to be talking about the mining industry or the Bombers." The medicinal marijuana operation prompted The Zig Zag Zone, a former Main Street novelty shop, to produce T-shirts that poked some fun at the new industry. It wasn't long before Flin Flon references began popping up in marijuana jokes on the Internet. "I think most of the comments were tongue in cheek," said the mayor. "The other side of that, of course, is that I think there was a strong feeling that this was something that had to be done. You run into people who think it's great because it's providing a needed medicine." Given his nature, the mayor didn't take all those marijuana jokes very seriously. What he does take seriously is the potential for Flin Flon's medicinal marijuana industry to expand to include other types of plants and research. He believes the underground growth chamber would be the perfect place for some company to develop herbal medications, for instance. "This is an industry for the community, all be it a small one right now," he said. "If it expanded, it could grow to ten times its current size."
