cannabisnews.com: Problems With Ottawa's Pot Crop Problems With Ottawa's Pot Crop Posted by CN Staff on July 04, 2002 at 09:40:07 PT By Marnie Ko Source: Report Magazine Prairie Plant Systems Inc., a Saskatoon company, has grown more than 250 kilograms of unharvested marijuana since it got a $5.7-million contract with Health Canada. The pot is for research and for pain relief for those with incurable multiple sclerosis, cancer, severe arthritis and epilepsy, and anyone in pain with less than a year to live. However, an indefinite government delay now means patients who want the drug must supply it themselves or name someone else to grow it for them. Prairie Plant's first harvest of government marijuana had been scheduled for delivery in January. But last month it was disclosed that distribution of the plants, under cultivation in an abandoned copper mine near Flin Flon, 400 miles northwest of Winnipeg, has been delayed. Federal Health Minister Anne McLellan admitted May 7 that the government's pot is substandard. The Flin Flon crop of 2,000 plants contains a rainbow of pot varieties, 185 in all, using seeds from police busts. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency uses a standardized seed, but Ms. McLellan said U.S. authorities would not share, so Canada was left with crops of various potency and quality. It must now test seeds and create a standardized variety for subsequent crops. A few hundred Canadians are not waiting. Since July 2001, when the government passed new legislation, 255 ill Canadians have been licensed to possess the plant. As of May 3, 164 people had obtained licences to produce the plant, and 11 individuals were authorized to grow the plants for others. An additional 658 Canadians were granted permission to use marijuana for medicinal purposes and 501 of those users remain active. Despite appearances, none of this means marijuana has actually been approved as a therapeutic substance by the federal government. Following a government report released May 1, however, debate on decriminalizing cannabis entirely is expected to reach an all-time high. After 14 months of study and consideration, Senator Pierre Claude Nolin, chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs, told reporters marijuana is used by about 30% of people aged 15 to 24. Still, contrary to common assumptions, he concluded that it is not a "gateway drug" leading to cocaine, heroine and other hard drug use. Indeed, Mr. Nolin noted it might be appropriate to treat marijuana "more like alcohol or tobacco." Six public hearings will be held between now and August, and Canadians in five cities will be asked whether marijuana should be made legal before the committee prepares a final report. Meanwhile, although a large amount of anecdotal evidence and personal stories extol the virtues of marijuana, almost no studies exist on its medicinal properties, if any. One University of California-San Francisco study, in preliminary stages and still ongoing, found that patients who smoked marijuana gained significantly more weight than those receiving a placebo, and had slightly lower viral levels. This could offer significant benefit to those patients using marijuana for chronic (catabolic) wasting, which includes nausea, vomiting, lack of appetite and severe weight loss. An Institute of Medicine study commissioned by the White House also found that cannabinoid drugs such as marijuana reduce anxiety, stimulate appetite, reduce nausea, and offer pain relief, and suggested pot was suitable for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and HIV wasting. Animal studies have also found cannabis products a mild to moderate analgesic, with more benefits than opiates, which can be inconsistent for chronic pain, and result in nausea and sedation. One small study, with only three human subjects, found that marijuana smoking ended migraine headache attacks. Researchers theorized marijuana suppresses pain by feeding the periaqueductral gray (PAG) region of the brain, part of the neural system with an abundance of existing cannabinoid receptors, and the part of the brain where migraines are believed to originate. Indeed, marijuana was a popular treatment for headache from 1874 to 1942. Then it was criminalized, and other drugs took its place. Still, some North Americans swear by pot. Last year, AIDS activist and freelance writer Phillip Alden of San Francisco told reporters he suffers constant nausea on anti-HIV medication, and has chronic wasting syndrome. A lungful of pot before dinner makes him hungry. He must eat enormous quantities of food to maintain his weight. "I start cooking dinner and take a couple hits off my pipe. Then I eat dinner, dessert, snacks, and keep eating right up until bedtime." Note: Bad news for medical users, but decriminalization gets closer all the time. Source: Report Magazine -- BC Edition Author: Marnie Ko Published: May 27, 2002Copyright: 2002 Report MagazineContact: ar incentre.net Website: http://www.report.ca Related Articles & Web Site:Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmCanada: The Debate Over Decriminalization http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12697.shtmlMedicinal-Marijuana Harvest on Holdhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12605.shtmlCanada Legalizes Marijuana For Medicinal Purposeshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10468.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #10 posted by R-Earing on July 05, 2002 at 10:02:53 PT: easy way to fix problem The fed pot is a mixed bag of varying potency? Gee,what if you blended it together or made oil out of it? Wouldn't that then yield a "standard" sample for comparitive purposes?Note about PPS:PPS is a kick ass,well run company.If there is a problem it did not originate with them.Anybody that can grow roses in the middle of a Saskatchewan winter is a pretty darn good gardener!PPS is under a "gag" order not to discuss this issue to protect the feds.Remember Prime minister Jean Chretien on the Mike Bullard show last year being asked about med pot? I quote verbatim: "legal, legal,yes legal".What's Mcllelans' excuse? [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by mayan on July 04, 2002 at 13:24:15 PT herbdoc & Naaps... Thanks for the info!Here's another Ruppert article some of you might find interesting...NEW CIA UNIVERSITY REVEALS AGENCY PRIORITIES: http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/070302_CIA_U.htmlfrom the article:Since the U.S.-led conquest of Afghanistan was completed last November, a fresh opium crop has been planted that has currently put between 3,000 and 4,500 metric tons of opium back on the market after being harvested last month. That equates to an estimated $150 and $200 billion in liquid cash revenues that will enter the world’s banking system and financial markets, mostly in the U.S. In January of 2000 the Taliban destroyed some 96% of the country’s opium crop; an act of economic warfare that took an estimated $200 billion out of the world’s banking system. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by p4me on July 04, 2002 at 13:18:38 PT Richard Cowan on Colin Davies-7/3/02 Richard Cowan's piece dated 7/3/02 was a little late in getting up, but it is there now: http://www.marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=547If Steve Tuck is reading, I hope you can keep up with the goings on at Cnews. I emailed pot-tv about Paul Peterson and the story of the MMJ laws in Illinois and I also heard Steve Kubby mention you and him riding on a ferry together. Anyway, I hope you find out what I am talking about in regards to Paul Peterson and will relay that information to pot-tv. I cannot get my email working to your link, but you can expect an email when I get it figured out. Good to here from you Steve.1,2 [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Naaps on July 04, 2002 at 12:44:39 PT Another View When Federal Health Minister Anne McLellon declared the Flin Flon pot substandard it came after meetings with Dr. Henry Hyde, President of the Canadian Medical Association, and with Dr. Jim Walker, from Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada. Dr. Walker testified to the House Special Committee on Non-Medical Use of Drugs, Meeting #31, March 13th, “One of our main messages is that smoking is a very dirty delivery system, and a very toxic delivery system…We feel there's also a significant liability issue here for the government. If marijuana is in fact promoted and provided by government, then there's going to be a significant liability down the line, because we know from the studies that have been done to date that marijuana is a dangerous compound when smoked. The actual smoke from marijuana is very toxic. It causes lung damage.”. Aside from these physicians, probably other vested interest groups had their agents of political influence work on Ms. McLellon. I’d speculate US Ambassador Paul Cellucci, or RCMP Chief Superintendant Bob Lesser would have contacted Ms. McLellon. Under considerable pressure to kibosh, stall , or indefinitely delay the distribution of the harvest, the fact that the pot wasn’t a uniform standard quality was emphasized above all else. Truthfully, the pot wasn’t contaminated by Radon Gas, nor polluted by excessive fertilizer or pesticides; in actuality, the pot exceeded the 7% THC target. Pointing out that the crop could be standardized by mixing everything, and homogenizing the result didn’t find a receptive ear, as a solution wasn’t desired. Essentially, the suffering of patients took a backseat to the vested interest groups seeking to derail the program. Meanwhile, whilst Senator Nolin and the Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs state that Cannabis is not a gateway drug in their discussion paper, the House Special Committee on Non-Medical Drugs consistently accept testimony, without challenge, from Treatment Professionals and the RCMP that it is a gateway. For example, at Meeting #34, Mr. Kevin McKinnon, Co-ordinator, Youth and Family Programs, Department of Health and Social Services (Prince Edward Island) states, “I certainly do believe cannabis is a gateway drug…most of the people addicted to cocaine and heroin, the so-called harder drugs, or the prescription drugs, do start out by using cannabis, I would say.” At the same meeting, Mr. Wayne Clark, director of the Talbert House Treatment Centre says, “As for your question on whether marijuana is a gateway drug, what we see in treatment would certainly suggest that.” Such unsubstantiated views would not be tolerated in front of the Senate Committee. Furthermore, while the Senate Committee strives to be rigorous and transparent for the benefit of all Canadians, the other wandering committee, with its handpicked prohibitions deign to trouble themselves with established facts, preferring to voice whatever furthers their cause.The article indicates that more public hearings are scheduled. In fact, after a cross country tour following the release of the discussion paper, no further public hearings are scheduled. Presently, the committee is working on the final draft which they plan to make public in September.As already mentioned in other postings, there is indeed a wealth of studies on medical marijuana. Clearly, Marine Ko overlooked a number of tomes, The Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics, committee reports, and symposiums. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by Jose Melendez on July 04, 2002 at 12:14:12 PT herbdoc215 ditto... and thank you. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by FoM on July 04, 2002 at 11:39:33 PT herbdoc215 I was wondering how you've been and will be glad when you can get back on line and comment more frequently again. Most of all stay safe and be well. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by herbdoc215 on July 04, 2002 at 11:28:04 PT: McClellan is real problem here! This is just more gov't bs from her, she knows that crop is much better than just obtaining any pot from streets as patients are expected to now. That first crop was just R&D to sort out genetics donated to them by us, they produced mothers and greww from clones for production part. Anne just isn't telling you she and her US masters are just against any useful research being done or patients actually getting medicine. In light of cannabis's toxicity these statements should be seen as the spin they are. We are going to do a media story real soon to explain the entire story on seed donation and all that has transpired since as soon as we obtain our new location next week. Sorry to drop from sight but orders were orders, I want to thank everyone of you from bottom of my heart for outpouring of support shown to us through our ordeal, my faith in mankind has been redeamed for all time, I also watched you shake the foundations of Canadian law and garner alot of attention from Canadian legal circles as they just didn't place very much credibility in assertions that some of us would die without cannabis until they saw how sick we really were and how many people cared what happened to us. Now as an official Refugee I can go back to running my mouth at will, piss on a bunch of torturing Nazi pigs. I also was evicted from my house the day after being arrested, the reason given was police raid on my home which didn't even turn up a roach! So I have had no internet, should be on next week. Thanks again, I will never forget it. Peace, Steven Tuck ...in exile [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by p4me on July 04, 2002 at 10:36:15 PT She should have talked to Walters She says there are no studies on MMJ and Drug Bizarre Walters says there are 10,000 studies saying it is no better than dirt for anything. Now somebody must be wrong.I would like to mention since the subject of schizophrenia was the subject of a Moonie article from UPI a few days ago, that the NY Times has an article called "Schizophrenia May Be Tied to 2 Genes, Research Finds" By NICHOLAS WADE: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/04/health/04GENE.htmlAlso on Pot-tv News on Wednesday the Kubbies addressed the Moonies' takeover of UPI and said they also owned/controlled the Washington Times.The idea that sick Canadians do not want this marijuana is ludicrous and it makes just as much sense to hang the people that are continuing the misery of the sick and stopping the progress of science and medicine.1,2 [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by E_Johnson on July 04, 2002 at 10:24:50 PT Only Canada gets the IOM report right? Maybe the Institute of Medicine should consider moving north along with the Kubbys and Ken Hayes. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Sam Adams on July 04, 2002 at 10:04:54 PT Same ol, same ol' Anyone else tired of the media just accepting the word of the govt as gospel?The herb is "substandard"? In what way? Is is worse than what medical patients are using now? Is it tainted or contaminated with anything dangerous? Can they spell out even one specific symptom or threat to the health of any of the patients who would use the herb? Perhaps they could quantify the danger of anyone dying or being seriously injured by the "bad" crop? Oh yeah, that would be a ZERO percent chance, wouldn't it?This writer is so confused, she'd rather believe the official government line than her own research! She tells us that "Meanwhile, although a large amount of anecdotal evidence and personal stories extol the virtues of marijuana, almost no studies exist on its medicinal properties, if any."Then, she goes on to describe studies proving medical value for the next 3 paragraphs! Including the IOM report, which was a survey of EXISTING research and interviews with over 500 medical practitioners and researchers! Can't these moronic reporters use Pubmed? Type in cannabis and you'll be treated to pages upon pages of peer-reviewed, clinical human studies on cannabis. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment