POT MARKUP HURTS

Drug dealers make their money on how much they mark up their product.
The street value of what they're peddling is significantly higher than
what they pay their suppliers for the illicit drugs.

But we expect they're all drooling at the profits the federal
government reaps when it sells dope - medicinal marijuana. Street
dealers wouldn't be in business if they sold marijuana for 15 times
more than what they paid for it.

But the federal government does just that, and gets away with it, as
it operates in a monopoly.

Pity the people who need the medicinal marijuana for pain
management.

Often the people who use the federally controlled marijuana are on
fixed incomes and are in extreme and constant pain.

Yet if they can't pay their exorbitant dope bills, the feds will cut
off the medicine.

Some health care system - the government is profiting nicely at the
expense of some of society's more seriously ill citizens.

Health Canada is a reluctant drug dealer, forced into the business by
our legal system, where court decisions accept scientific research
that states marijuana can relieve pain where other medications fail.

There are 1,742 patients authorized by Health Canada to possess dried
pot for medication. More than 1,000 of them are also licensed to grow
their own.

But all can order marijuana through Health Canada's underground (as in
down a mine shaft in Manitoba) supplier, Prairie Plant Systems, and
have medicinal pot Purolated out to them.

Health Canada pays $328.75 per kilogram of marijuana from Prairie
Plant Systems. It sells a 30-gram bag (and there are 33-plus such bags
in one kilogram of pot), for $150 - plus GST. At that price, Health
Canada sells the dope for $5,000 per kilogram, a mark up of 1,500 per
cent.

It's no surprise to see nearly a third of the patients who do order
the government dope are now in arrears. They owe their dealer, Health
Canada, more than $143,000.

The federal government may not like the fact it's in the dope selling
business, despite the needs of their customers. But do what is best
for those in need. Don't gouge your medicinal users like too many
pharmaceutical giants do south of the border. Treat them with respect.
These people are forced to use marijuana because of their pain, not
because they want to get high.