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.
The federal government will renew its medicinal marijuana program after the current contract expires, but it remains to be seen whether the product will continue to be grown in Flin Flon. Saskatoon-based Prairie Plant Systems is under contract until Dec. 2005 to supply Health Canada with pot for medicinal and research purposes, utilizing an un abandoned mine shaft at Trout Lake as a grow chamber. Ottawa expects to put out the new tender in the next few months, opening the door to all companies across Canada. Brent Zettl, president and CEO of Prairie Plant Systems, said he expects his company will try to secure the new contract but could not say that for sure because he does not know the specifics of the tender. The company holds a competitive edge, having produced more than 30 pounds of marijuana for ill Canadians and government research since being awarded the first Health Canada contract in Dec. 2000. And staff are already in place in the underground chamber, which Zettl believes is an ideal site because it is more isolated and secure than a greenhouse. Health Canada spokesperson Catherine Saunders said the government is pleased with the quality of product coming out of Flin Flon. "It follows a good management process and is fully tested," she said in a phone interview from her Ottawa office. "The Government of Canada certainly believes the product being produced is of excellent quality." But not all patients have agreed with that assessment. The first batch of the medicinal pot, released between 2001 and 2003, received some negative reviews from Canadians authorized to smoke it. One patient said the weed was too weak and made him nauseous while another called it "totally unsuitable for human consumption." See 'Batch' P.# Con't from P.# Saunders said the government took into account such comments and tinkered with the second batch, released this past summer. She said leaves and twigs were removed from the pot, increasing the content of THC, marijuana's active drug component, by up to two per cent. And modifications continue to be made as staff experiment with moisture levels and grind sizes. The finished marijuana or seeds are curried directly from Flin Flon to the 124 Canadians who are authorized to purchase the weed, or their physicians. Other samples are sent to McGill University in Montreal, where government studies are ongoing into the health effects of marijuana.
