GOVERNMENT AS SOLE SELLER OF MEDICAL POT DISASTROUS

On April 16, we heard of the long-standing, incredible 1,500 per cent
markup on medical marijuana. A day later, Victoria Times columnist
Jack Knox reported how Health Canada plans to gain a monopoly on
medical marijuana.

If Health Canada does go ahead with the monopoly on medical marijuana
and makes Prairie Plant Systems the only provider of such, people will
suffer needlessly. My friend, Tom Shapiro, an AIDS patient and medical
marijuana user in Regina, will be forced to go back to a product that
he has rejected previously as ineffective and comparable to cardboard.

He has a secure medical garden with an alarm system. Along with this
convenience, he has also managed to refine his choice as to the
strains his designated grower produces to alleviate the symptoms that
come along with taking more than 30 medications every day.

It'll be tough to hear Tom tell me that he's gone back to puking his
guts out every morning because he won't be allowed to grow the strains
that help him.

Compassion clubs and designated growers already provide patients with
high quality medical marijuana the government can't seem to produce.
Spending more than $5 million, the government can't achieve what a
16-year-old can by using a closet and a good set of lights.

The current system has worked somewhat for the paltry number of
medical marijuana patients, who are allowed to access this hallowed
plant of which federal politicians seem to be scared to high heaven.
Now we're going to see the government peddling schwag in a monopolized
manner that biker gangs could probably only dream of.

Ethan Erkiletian

President, Sask. Marijuana Party

Saskatoon