GOV'T POT READY

Flin Flon Mine Has Good Crop

Flin Flon's highly touted pot mine has harvested its first batch of
research-grade marijuana, the Winnipeg Sun has learned.

About 200 kilograms of marijuana that meets "good manufacturing practices"
was harvested in late December at the government-sanctioned grow operation
- -- the only one of its kind in Canada, Health Canada spokeswoman Jirina Vlk
said yesterday.

"This is the first batch that is GMP compliant," Vlk told The Sun. "The
stuff that isn't GMP compliant can be used for other purposes, like for
tests on (second-hand) smoke, for example."

The pot is grown under high security in a hydroponic lab deep within an old
copper mine in Flin Flon, about 650 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.

Last summer, Health Minister Anne McLellan bristled at reports that plans
to supply patients with medical marijuana were being shelved. At the time,
McLellan said she hoped clinical trials on research-grade pot could begin
at the end of fall or in early winter.

Ottawa amended drug laws in 2001 so people with certain medical conditions
could apply for special exemptions that would allow them to use pot to
relieve their symptoms. Clinical trials are required before that can happen.

There have been several false starts at the Flin Flon pot mine. A small
amount of the first crop, grown last year, was destroyed because it
contained fungus and spores.

But that hasn't stopped the northern town from going cannabis crazy, even
though residents are not quite sure what's going on inside the mine.

"They're obviously not going to advertise what's going on. That's probably
the main reason they set up here," said local Chris Pilz, who has cashed in
on the pot farm by selling novelty T-shirts that proclaim Flin Flon as the
"marijuana growing capital of Canada."

Pilz's store sells three different shirts with a variety of twists on that
theme. In the first six months, Pilz said he sold 10,000 , many overseas
through Internet sales.