Pubdate: Mon, 26 Aug 2002
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright: 2002 Winnipeg Free Press
Contact:  http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502
Author: Kevin Rollason

POT IN PERIL, FLIN FLON LOOKS TO OTHER CROPS

New Grow Options 'Tip Of Iceberg'

With the future of the federal medicinal marijuana program potentially in 
doubt, the company chosen to grow the crop underground in a Flin Flon mine 
shaft is exploring what other crops it could produce there.

Phil Robinson, president of the Flin Flon and Area Chamber of Commerce, 
says Prairie Plant Systems is looking into growing genetically-modified 
crops and pharmaceuticals.

"It makes sense," Robinson said yesterday.

"We see this as the tip of the iceberg to see the mine be developed even 
further. We see it as a much larger operation."

Robinson said if the test plants were grown hundreds of metres underground, 
there would be no danger of having any of their qualities spread to plants 
in nearby fields.

"If they could put a new drug for people in bananas, it might be a boon. 
But you have to make sure it's safe first and if you grow it down there, 
you could make sure. You have to control it; you can't let it get away." 
Prairie Plant Systems was awarded the $5.7-million, four-year contract in 
2000 to grow 400 kilograms of marijuana annually.

In the last few months since Allan Rock was shuffled from health to the 
industry portfolio and replaced by Health Minister Anne McLellan, the 
future of the medicinal marijuana operation in an abandoned section of a 
mine has been thrown into question.

In late December, Health Canada said the marijuana had been extensively 
tested and all that was needed was to set up a distribution system.

But since April, McLellan has continued to say the marijuana won't be 
released to patients until it had been put through clinical trials.

Alex Swann, a spokesman for McLellan, said "our goal is to develop a 
research grade marijuana.

"We hope to complete this in the coming months... but we have to complete 
the process of perfecting the product." A spokesman for Prairie Plant 
Systems was unavailable for comment.

The company's Web site says the benefits of the underground growth chamber 
is it "offers a relatively disease-free area, completely isolated from the 
outside environment."

As well, the plants grow faster under conditions that are constantly 
monitored by computers and, because they are 360 metres below the surface 
of the Earth, they are in a secure area.

Mayor Dennis Ballard said the community has always hoped the underground 
plant growing operation could be expanded with more and different crops 
being grown there.

"There's not a lot of jobs at this point there, but there could be in 
future and that's what we hope for," Ballard said.

"But right now, we're opening a new mall here... and that's probably going 
to have 20 times more jobs than this operation has."

Dr. Jim Bole, director of the Cereal Research Centre in Winnipeg, said 
there could be benefits to growing some experimental crops underground.

"Certainly, if there was an extremely valuable compound they were worried 
about escaping, it could have potential," Bole said. And Wayne Fraser, 
director of environment and plant engineering with Hudson Bay Mining and 
Smelting, said Prairie Plant Systems wouldn't be lacking for space in the 
company's underground mine if they decide to go ahead with their plans.

"This particular mine did 20 million tonnes of ore," Fraser said. "There's 
almost an infinite amount of space down there.

"There's 10 million cubic yards of void space down there. There's 150 to 
200 acres available in that mine.

"They're using less than an acre now."
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MAP posted-by: Beth