FLIN FLON'S FEDERAL POT 'DISGUSTING'

Some of First Patients Want Their Money Back

SOME of the first patients to smoke Flin Flon'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
for two of the bags with a letter of complaint. A third AIDS patient
says he's also unhappy with the product, which is supposed to contain
10.2 per cent 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."

All three are among 10 patients who have registered with Health Canada
to buy dope directly from the government to alleviate their medical
symptoms. Another 39 applications are pending.

The department was compelled to begin direct distribution in July,
following an Ontario court order this year that said needy patients
should not be forced to get their cannabis on the streets or from
authorized growers, who themselves obtain seeds or cuttings illegally.

The marijuana is being grown for Health Canada deep underground in a
vacant mine section in Flin Flon by Prairie Plant Systems on a
$5.75-million contract. The department originally intended that the
product go first to accredited researchers to demonstrate whether
cannabis is medically effective.

In Flin Flon yesterday, officials were disappointed that the locally
grown marijuana hadn't met the expectation of the people it was meant
to help.

"I'm kind of surprised," said city councillor Cal Huntley. "It was my
understanding that the quality assurance was there, that they were
testing everything."

"It's kind of unfortunate to hear that the product isn't good," said
Dave Kendall, chamber of commerce president. "Certainly, they have
various levels of strength of product, but the government tells them
which ones to release."

From the community's perspective, the marijuana-growing scheme is
already an immeasurable success, both men say. Kendall said Prairie
Plant Systems is talking with pharmaceutical companies about growing
different kinds of crops underground, which could be a much bigger
boon to the local economy than marijuana, which has only netted a
handful of jobs.

Health Minister Anne McLellan has said she opposes the direct
distribution of government cannabis to patients and that the program
will end if the department wins its appeal of the Ontario court decision.

The government dope also came under fire yesterday from Canadians for
Safe Access, a patients' rights group that is pressing for supplies of
safe, effective marijuana.

Laboratory tests indicate the Health Canada product has only about
three per cent THC -- not the 10.2 per cent advertised -- and contains
contaminants such as lead and arsenic, said spokesman Philippe Lucas
of Victoria.

"This particular product wouldn't hold a candle to street level
cannabis," he said in an interview.

But Lucas declined to identify the three labs that did the testing,
other than to indicate they're in Vancouver, saying he fears the
facilities might suffer repercussions from Health Canada because they
were not authorized to possess the cannabis. He also would not say how
the group obtained the sample of government dope.

No patients have complained directly to Health Canada so far, said
spokeswoman Krista Apse, and the department will not accept returns or
provide refunds.

McLellan said she would need more scientific analysis to convince her
that the pot needs to be stronger.

"We analysed the product obviously, independently, to ensure quality
and potency. If they want to share information with us, who did the
analysis, the basis on which it was done, I'm sure we could arrange
for them to meet and determine why apparently these different results
have arisen."

Lucas, who smokes marijuana to cope with his hepatitis C infection,
said the lab results also showed that the cannabis provided at a
Victoria compassion club for patients registers at more than 12 per
cent and is freer from contaminants.

He said the government cannabis was too finely ground up with stems
and leaves, calling it "shwag" or "bunk," street terminology for the
lowest grade of marijuana.