cannabisnews.com: Feds To Blame for Flin Flon Pot Flop Feds To Blame for Flin Flon Pot Flop Posted by CN Staff on May 13, 2002 at 16:21:35 PT Letters To The Editor Source: Province As the Flin Flon experiment proves to be a flop, federal officials have no one to blame but themselves. The people at Prairie Plant Systems have NO experience in growing cannabis.There is an old saying in the medicinal cannabis arena: "Different strains for different pains." The 185 different strains at Flin Flon could be "cloned," and research done as to which strains do the best job for the many different health problems they help. Most of us in medicinal cannabis support groups already know this and are using the "different strains for different pains" method.The inept government did have the correct seeds, but it didn't have the correct team or knowledge to properly run this medicinal cannabis grow-operation.If the grow contract had been given to the people who know the cannabis plant, a safe organic crop would have been distributed to the sick -- guaranteed.It's time to pull the plug on this misappropriation of health funds, now.CP: Only the feds could produce a medicinal marijuana crop, grown underground in Flin Flon, Man., that had to be trashed because it was impure and ineffective, readers say. B.C. Senator Pat Carney says Ottawa should go B.C. for its bud supply. Michael C. Hansen, founder, Canadian Hemp Growers Association, DeltaSource: Province, The (CN BC)Authors: Michael C. Hansen Published: Monday, May 13, 2002Copyright: 2002 The ProvinceContact: provletters pacpress.southam.caWebsite: http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovince/Feds' Medicinal-Pot Debacle was Predictable The latest excuse from our bumbling bureaucrats concerning the inadequate seeds the government has used in its medicinal-marijuana program (Gazette, May 8, "Feds' pot is below par") is just one more to add to the long list of what appear to be stalling tactics by a government that is still seething that the courts forced it to create a medical-marijuana program against its wishes. (Although it's not as if there is no precedent for such a move: the medicare system in the Netherlands now includes a medical-marijuana program.)Asking the Taliban-like drug-war zealots of the American Drug Enforcement Agency for marijuana seeds is akin to asking Dracula to part with some blood; everybody knew the answer would be "no" beforehand. The government likely knew as well but thought it would provide a wonderful excuse.Hemp-Quebec Seeds and Marc Emery Seeds are just two of the legitimate tax-paying Canadian seed companies that carry about 500 different high-quality seeds from all over the world. Yet the government refused even to consider involving them in its growing operation.Canada could have also approached countries like Britain, Italy and Spain, where universities and pharmaceutical companies are carrying out extensive marijuana research. The most obvious source would have been Holland, which has leading expertise in marijuana genetics and hundreds of seed banks. Instead, the government asked the rabid U.S. anti-drug agency.When that failed, it came up with the brilliant plan to use unknown strains of seeds that had been confiscated by police, which is equivalent to putting your hand in the cabinet with your eyes closed. Many people warned of the problems this would cause, as there are over 1,000 different marijuana strains. We have also learned that the most important prerequisite to be allowed to grow marijuana for the government was to have no prior experience in growing marijuana. Many will see this as an obvious metaphor: the way to get a government contract is to be totally unqualified.Either this whole seed debacle is the result of incompetence of a level rarely seen before, or our government has played the country beautifully. Either way, Canadians, or at least the 90-per-cent majority that supports medical marijuana, should be outraged. Lyle Howard SeaveSaint-FélicienSource: Montreal Gazette (CN QU)Author: Lyle Howard Seave, Saint-FélicienPublished: Monday, May 13, 2002Copyright: 2002 The Gazette, a division of Southam Inc.Contact: letters thegazette.southam.caWebsite: http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/Feds Had Their Chance As a medical marijuana user I was outraged at Health Minister Anne McLellan, who said there are too many strains growing in the Flin Flon mine.I happen to know that medicinal marijuana advocate Steve Tuck provided more than $100,000 worth of medical strains from Humbolt, Calif., and turned them over to Dr. Smalls and representatives of police. He had them all marked according to their qualities and specific to certain illnesses.This can be verified by B.C. court records. The marijuana plant cannot be "standardized" with one specific THC and CBD combination, and it would be a shame to do so as people with varying illnesses require various strains.This first Flin Flon crop now being submitted to scientific "quality testing" is going to be wasted and valuable strains and research of Mr. Tuck lost.John Gordon, VancouverSource: Province, The (CN BC)Authors: John Gordon, The Province Published: Monday, May 13, 2002Copyright: 2002 The ProvinceContact: provletters pacpress.southam.caWebsite: http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovince/Delay Over Medical Marijuana Hurts Ill It took the government 15 months and $5.8 million of taxpayers' money paid to a private firm to produce and harvest 1,800 kilos of marijuana in an underground mine in Flin Flon, Manitoba.A crop of marijuana from seed needs only four to five months. After the crop was harvested and stored for one month, the government announced that it will be disposed of.Yet the government is approving new medical marijuana licences while existing medical marijuana users still have no supply. You must be approved by your doctor, and a specialist, and then it's sent to some person in a cubicle in Ottawa for final approval.On May 5, I marched in Toronto at the Million Marijuana March. Leading the parade were three of Canada's first 14 legal exemptees, approved more than two years ago. They still have no supply of or access to clean medical-grade marijuana, and must involve themselves with the black market or a Compassion Club for supply, which is a direct violation of their exemptions and the law.It doesn't look like they will have a supply any time soon, and those opposed to the medical use of marijuana will enjoy hearing what the government is doing with their money.Fred Pritchard, Windsor, The Marijuana Compassion Club of WindsorSource: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)Author: Fred Pritchard, Southam News Published: Monday, May 13, 2002Copyright: 2002 The Ottawa CitizenContact: letters thecitizen.southam.caWebsite: http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/Related Articles & Web Site:Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmCanada's Med-Pot, Hot or Not? http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12826.shtmlB.C. Pot Growers Blast $6 Million Wastehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12812.shtmlCarney Pushes B.C. Bud for Official Pot Crop http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12796.shtml END SNIP --> Snipped Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Post Comment