Pubdate: Tue, 13 Jul 2010
Source: Eagle Valley News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2010 Sicamous Eagle Valley News
Contact:  http://www.eaglevalleynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4362
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

MONEY TO BE MADE FROM POT BUSTS

When news of a police raid on a "large" and "sophisticated" marijuana 
grow operations hits the paper, as is often the case in the Shuswap, 
one question people seem to ask regularly is, "what do they do with the stuff?"

Despite the illegality of it all, this question is most often 
delivered with a wink-wink-nudge-nudge gesture. The truth, however, 
is pretty dry. Typically, marijuana obtained by authorities from such 
raids is eventually destroyed - incinerated to be exact. This answer 
might rekindle that cheeky thought process. Or it may elicit a more 
dour, thoughtful response such as, "Wow, what a waste."

Now, before heading to your computer to start typing that letter to 
the editor questioning how we could condone the production and sale 
of weed, dig this - the federal government already does and, not 
surprisingly, it's a mighty lucrative endeavour.

Health Canada recently signed a contract with Prairie Plant Systems 
of Saskatoon worth $17 million to produce medical marijuana. 
Currently, the company is scrambling to hire new staff and expand its 
secret growing facility in order to handle the contract.

There was, no doubt, a lot of paperwork and handshaking for Prairie 
Plant Systems to get that deal with the government, let alone to 
become the only federally licensed medical marijuana producer in 
Canada. But clearly, or at least one would hope, that if the feds are 
willing to pony up millions of taxpayer dollars for the deal, there 
is indeed money to be made in the medical marijuana industry.

Meanwhile, millions more taxpayer dollars are going towards police 
investigations of marijuana grow operations, the raids and other 
related costs. All the while, irritation is growing across the 
country among local governments, who have no choice but to pay 
taxpayer dollars for escalating RCMP policing costs with no input or 
accountability.

Local governments, it seems, have no money to burn, yet authorities 
are doing just that.

Why shouldn't we see some financial gain from this war on drugs? Our 
foray into the medical marijuana gig shows we can have it both ways. 
And the fact we've been profiteering from the sales of cigarettes and 
booze for ages helps to lessen the sting of hypocrisy.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom