Pubdate: Wed, 15 May 2002
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2002 The Province
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovince/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author: Matthew M. Elrod
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada)
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n895/a02.html

THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH FLIN FLON POT CROP

Thank you for Jim McNulty's entertaining and generally insightful 
column, "Ottawa Liberals show the rot of power."

I was, however, disappointed that McNulty bought Health Minister Anne 
McLellan's line that Health Canada's first medicinal cannabis crop 
"can't be dispensed because the seeds used came from 185 different 
strains."

The U.S. National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), which predictably 
declined to provide Health Canada with seeds, has been providing a 
handful of patients with standardized cannabis cigarettes for decades.

How does NIDA do it? They essentially throw a myriad of low-quality 
Mexican strains, stems and seeds included, into a blender. Why it 
hasn't occurred to either NIDA or Health Canada to further refine 
such homogenized cannabis into hashish and/or tinctures of known 
potency and purity, as was the practise before cannabis was 
prohibited, is anyone's guess.

The bottom line is that McLellan is manufacturing excuses, not 
seeking expert advice or finding solutions in good faith.

Unless the cannabis we all paid for is contaminated with heavy metals 
or radon from the abandoned mine in which it was grown, there is 
nothing wrong with it.

Matthew M. Elrod,

Victoria
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MAP posted-by: Josh