OTTAWA'S ROLLING OUT 'HORRIBLE' POT: ACTIVIST

OTTAWA -- There's a new scandal creating a buzz on Parliament Hill. Bad
weed. Nearly a third of the patients who obtained marijuana through Health
Canada's medical access program have returned the product, says an activist
who sees that as proof federal pot isn't worth smoking.

"High school students in a cupboard could grow a product that is better and
safer than what we're getting," said Philippe Lucas, who obtained the
figures through the federal access to information law.

"I think it's much weaker than the government claims. I'd really suggest
their testing is off."

Lucas, director of Canadians for Safe Access, said tests commissioned by
his pro-pot lobby group have found the federal product contains only 5.1
per cent THC, rather than the 10.2 per cent claimed by Health Canada.

It doesn't even look appealing, he added.

"Visibly, it's horrible. There's visible stock and stem and it's ground far
too fine to actually roll, so you're forced to use it in a pipe -- and when
you do it burns very black with dark, acrid ash.

"They know it's no good and they send it out to people who aren't just
suffering from minor aches and pains, but in some cases have AIDS and cancer."

Health Canada spokesperson Catherine Saunders said 29 out of 92 approved
users either returned their pot or cancelled their orders.

However, she said she did not know the reasons.

Saunders insisted that the marijuana is as potent as claimed.

"It's tested, it's research grade, it's fully characterized and it's
documented according to good manufacturing practices guidelines."

She said the THC content is 10 per cent plus or minus 1 1/2 per cent.
That's comparable to black market pot, which averages 10 per cent, she said.

The government marijuana is grown for the government by Prairie Plant
Systems of Saskatoon in an abandoned mine at Flin Flon, Man.

Lucas said the marijuana is so widely reviled that Prairie Plant Systems
includes a return form with every order.

"Having smoked it myself, I think they're having a lot of problems with the
way they're treating it, post-cultivation. That's why this product is
burning black and barely burning at all, frankly."

Given that Prairie Plant System is in the fourth year of a $5.5-million,
five-year contract, and has shipped 279 ounces of pot, he estimates that
each ounce costs the government $16,000.

"Absolutely outrageous," said Lucas. "Black market cannabis currently goes
for $150 to $200 an ounce. That's for triple A (top quality).

"As a medical marijuana user, I'm absolutely shocked, bowled over and
offended by what's going on at Health Canada. But as a Canadian taxpayer,
I'm even more bothered."

Saunders said Health Canada does not calculate the cost of its medical
marijuana program on a per-ounce basis.

She said the benefits of the program for patients who are seriously ill,
and for researchers, are much broader than can be broken down by ounce of
product.