cannabisnews.com: Users Cut Feds' Grass Users Cut Feds' Grass Posted by CN Staff on July 13, 2004 at 10:16:21 PT By Jason Botchford, Toronto Sun Source: Toronto Sun Pssst, keep off the government's grass. That's the message from medicinal marijuana smokers who have sampled Health Canada's second attempt at government-certified marijuana. The batch is being advertised as stronger and better than the first, which was returned by about 30% of the people who bought it. It's supposed to have a 12% THC level and fewer stems, making it purer smoke. The verdict? Strike two. "It's still not good enough," said Philippe Lucas of Canadians for Safe Access, a British Columbia group that is warning all medical marijuana users to stay away from the new pot until it completes new lab tests. TESTING QUESTIONED Lucas said there are serious fears the drug, grown by Prairie Plant Systems in an old mine shaft in Flin Flon, Man., has not been tested properly and may contain heavy metals and a group of moulds known as Aspergillus. "This is not just a matter of whether this is strong enough, it's a matter of health for a group of people who are seriously ill," Lucas said. Canadians for Safe Access is testing a sample now and expects to have results from an independent lab tomorrow. The group will also be testing the pot for THC levels, as people who have tried it claim there is no way it is as potent as Health Canada advertised. "The belief is that it is very similar to the first batch in terms of how strong it is," Lucas said. The first harvest was widely panned after the government said it had a THC level of 10% but a series of independent tests showed it to be more like 5%. After the first harvest, 93 people paid $150 for 30-gram bags and 29 of them returned the product. Source: Toronto Sun (CN ON)Author: Jason Botchford, Toronto SunPublished: Tuesday, July 13, 2004Copyright: 2004 Canoe Limited PartnershipContact: editor sunpub.comWebsite: http://www.torontosun.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Canadians for Safe Accesshttp://www.safeaccess.ca/Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmMedical Users Spurning New Batch of Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19171.shtmlFirst Patients Disappointed in Gov't Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17310.shtmlCanada Patients Get Government Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17161.shtmlCannabisNews -- Canada Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/Canada.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #1 posted by FoM on July 13, 2004 at 10:21:04 PT Related Article from United Press International Canada's Legal Pot Stronger by DemandOttawa, ON, Jul. 13 (UPI) -- In response to complaints, the second batch of Canada's medical marijuana is stronger and cleaner, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reports.As with tobacco products, Health Canada prints chemical summaries on the packages of marijuana. The first batch, released early this year, said it contained 10.2 percent THC, the active ingredient that creates a "high."But the 70 people licensed to receive it gave it bad reviews, saying it seemed weak, powdery and contained too many twigs.In response, Prairie Plant Systems, which has the government contract to grow the marijuana, altered its hydroponic growing system in an abandoned mine shaft in Manitoba, and shipped out the second batch with 12 percent THC, removing most of the stems and twigs.Licensed smokers pay $150 (US$115) plus tax for a 30-gram bag.There have been no complaints about the second batch so far.Copyright: 2004 United Press International Cannabis News Canadian Links [ Post Comment ] Post Comment