LEGAL POT COSTLY, RESIDENT FINDS

A Prince George man is one of 241 people who've answered a proposal to
grow marijuana -- legally and with the blessing of the federal
government. But Gary Halls has discovered the proposition is just a
bit too steep for his pocketbook, despite the $5-million contract one
of them will land.

Health Canada spells out the criteria the successful grower must meet
in a 200-page tender package, which hopefuls like Halls had to
purchase for $78 including taxes and a courier fee.

They wouldn't take a certified cheque or money order either, Halls
found out. If you didn't have plastic you were out of luck, so Halls
said he borrowed a friend's credit card to make the deal.

Reading through the material he discovered the successful bidder would
be required to post a bond for $100,000, about 25% of what the grow
operation would cost to set up.

The grower would be expected to provide 100,000 marijuana cigarettes a
year, which Halls estimated would require at least 1,000 plants.

It will require major financing, he said, probably $400,000 for land
(indoor or outdoors) security fencing, surveillance cameras etc., not
to mention growing the pot, rolling it into cigarettes, packaging the
product and sending it by courier to people all over the country who
would be testing it for medicinal purposes.

Halls said he has no fear that by applying for the bidding package
he's tipped his hand to the RCMP narcotics squad.

"The police already know," he said. "I talked to the police before I
went into it. All they said was 'It's up to you'."

Halls wonders why the government is going through the whole process of
finding a grower and paying them $5 million for marijuana, when the
police confiscate tonnes of it every year.

"Why isn't Health Canada testing this (confiscated) marijuana to find
a suitable source?" he asked.

Halls said if things don't go his way, he may apply again next
year.

"Or I might try to get a job with whoever gets the contract."