WHO'LL GROW THE WEED, MAN?

OTTAWA -- Health Canada is looking for someone to grow its
weed.

The department served notice yesterday it will soon invite firms to
bid on a contract to cultivate and distribute medical marijuana, which
Prairie Plant Systems Inc. of Flin Flon, Man., is now doing.

The winning firm will be expected to deliver a steady supply of
government-approved marijuana to certified medical users starting in
the fall.

Health Canada posted a notice on a government tenders website saying
it would put out a formal request for proposals in the spring of 2008.

Ottawa has been a reluctant supplier of the drug since a series of
court rulings forced it into the medical marijuana business. The
marijuana program licenses certified medical users to grow their own
supply, have someone grow it for them or buy it from Health Canada.

The department has paid Prairie Plant Systems more than $10-million to
cultivate government-certified marijuana in a mine shaft in Flin Flon.

The company couriers the drug to users in 30-gram packets.

Health Canada awarded Prairie Plant Systems the deal in late 2000 and
has been extending the contract in six-month increments since 2006,
company president Brent Zettl said.

He added that the company has yet to decide whether to bid on the new
contract, although he expects it will.

"We didn't expect that this process would be able to continue. ...
These are the rules that they have to abide by," Mr. Zettl said.

"We had anticipated internally that something would have to happen. We
expected it would be something along these lines."

The winning firm could wind up in the advantageous position of one day
being the sole supplier of medical marijuana.

Health Canada has said it plans eventually to end its licensing of
home-grown marijuana. That would force all medical users to buy their
supplies directly from Ottawa, perhaps through pharmacy
distribution.

Ron Marzel, a Toronto lawyer who recently brought the matter before
the Federal Court on behalf of a group of medical users, says he's
concerned about any monopoly on legal production and supply of the
drug.

"The government's just had such a horrible track record in terms of
supplying medication to patients," he said.

"There are many different strains of cannabis out there and the
government's position to date has been, 'Well, we're growing one
strain and we've got one supplier and that's it. Live with it.'

"The pharmacological evidence is that different ailments require, and
different symptomology require, treatment with different strains. And
the government hasn't paid heed to that at all."

The Federal Court decision in January struck down a key restriction in
the government's pot program.

A judge's ruling eased Ottawa's grip on medical marijuana by allowing
growers to supply the drug to more than one user. Before the ruling,
each licensed grower could supply only one licensed user.

The federal government is appealing the decision.