POT HAS LITTLE BUZZ

OTTAWA -- Some of the first patients to smoke Health Canada's
government-approved marijuana say it's "disgusting" and want their
money back.

"It's totally unsuitable for human consumption," said Jim Wakeford,
58, an AIDS patient in Gibsons, B.C.

"It gave me a slight buzziness for about three to five minutes, and
that was it. I got no other effect from it."

Barrie Dalley, a 52-year-old Toronto man who uses marijuana to combat
the nausea associated with AIDS, said the Health Canada dope actually
made him sick to his stomach.

"I threw up," Dalley said yesterday. "It made me nauseous because I
had to use so much of it. It was so weak in potency that I really threw up."

Both men are returning their 30-gram bags, and Dalley is demanding his
money back, $150 plus taxes. Wakeford is returning his unpaid bill
with a letter of complaint.

A third AIDS patient says he's also unhappy with the product, which is
supposed to contain 10.2% THC, the main active ingredient.

"I'm still smoking it -- I would prefer better, but it's all I've
got," said Jari Dvorak, 62, in Toronto.

"I think Health Canada certainly should do better with the quality."