ALBERTA'S POT CALLED VERY HOT

EDMONTON -- Forget B.C. Bud, Quebec Gold or Winnipeg Wheelchair Weed --
what the feds need is a toke of some Alberta government smoke, says an
Edmonton greenhouse crop specialist.

Alberta Agriculture's Crop Diversification Centre greenhouse in Edmonton
could easily supply the feds with pot, said Dr. Mohyuddin Mirza, who
researches medicinal plants.

"I'm going to talk to some key people and see whether the federal
government will consider such a thing," Mirza said.

Public Works and Government Services Canada called for proposals on Friday
from those interested in supplying marijuana for Health Canada research on
its medicinal benefits.

The provincially funded Edmonton centre already produces industrial hemp --
and experiments with medicinal plants, said Mirza.

Health Canada needs a marijuana producer to supply reliable pot for
clinical trials to study what is now only anecdotal evidence of pot's
health benefits.