cannabisnews.com: MJ Growers Sought, Experienced Need Not Apply





MJ Growers Sought, Experienced Need Not Apply
Posted by FoM on May 06, 2000 at 07:31:18 PT
By Luiza Chwialkowska
Source: National Post 
Ottawa looking for high-grade supply for clinical trials. The federal government is seeking individuals or corporations to supply Health Canada with hundreds of kilograms of high-quality marijuana, Allan Rock, the Health Minister, announced yesterday. 
The "affordable, quality, standardized marijuana products" sought by the government must be grown in Canada and will be used in clinical trials that will investigate potential medical benefits of the drug, according to a Request for Proposals issued by the Department of Public Works. The five-year contract would pay approximately $5-million. Proposals are due by June 6 and a contractor will be chosen this summer. Bidders on the contract will have to obtain a special licence, pass a security check, and cannot employ personnel with past criminal drug convictions. Officials at Public Works would not comment on whether proposals from existing growers could potentially lead to their arrest. "They're not being asked to describe their marijuana-growing operations. They are being asked to describe a proposal for setting up marijuana-growing operations," said Fran Gerhberg, a spokeswoman for Public Works. "If you are growing it already, you are growing it illegally," she noted. The supplier will be required to maintain "stringent security" at its facility. A legal marijuana supply is part of the marijuana research plan announced by Mr. Rock last June. "Establishing a Canadian source of research-grade marijuana is an important step in putting our plan into action, and we will proceed expeditiously," Mr. Rock said in a statement yesterday. The government is reviewing a number of research proposals and could begin supplying marijuana to patients in a matter of months.Related Links From Article:UN Drug Control Programme:http://www.undcp.org/Alas, it's a little less up to date than the seed sites. You can still leaf through older versions of the World Drug Report.United Nations Treaties on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances:A century's worth of treaties reaching back to the International Opium Convention. You'll find texts for the three most influential treaties here. http://www.incb.org/e/conv/http://untreaty.un.org/Controlled Drugs and Substances Act:Act C-38, passed by Parliament in 1996. Click here for the list of banned substances.http://canada.justice.gc.ca/cgi-bin/folioisa.dll/estats.nfo/query=*/doc/{t30376}?Addiction Research Foundation:Home page for the well-respected institute based in Toronto.http://www.arf.org/Office of Alcohol, Drugs and Dependency Issues:A series of publications outlining Canada's drug policies and strategies. You'll need a PDF reader for some of the longer documents.http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hppb/alcohol-otherdrugs/publications.htmCanadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network:An impassioned argument for changing Canada's drug policy.http://www.aidslaw.ca/elements/DrugsummE.htmlRCMP:Canada's chief drug enforcement agency.http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/frames/rcmp-grc1.htmBusted: America's War on Marijuana:A large, level-headed PBS special.http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/dope/CANNABIS SEED SITES:Cannabis.comhttp://www.cannabis.com/The straight dope on dope. http://www.cannabis.com/seedselect/The seed selection area lists the many Canadian marijuana seed sites.Marc Emergy Direct Marijuana SeedsPromises to "help you overgrow the government."http://www.emeryseeds.com/H.D. SeedsFeatures Parliament prominently on the home page.http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/7209/Stinky's Marihuana Seed BankStrains named after legendary pot-smugglers.http://www.freeyellow.com/members3/stinkyseeds/index.htmlOttawa:Published: Saturday, May 06, 2000Copyright © Southam Inc. News Release, May 5, 2000: Health Canada To Establish Source of Research-Grade Marijuana:OTTAWA - Health Canada, through Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), today issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to establish a Canadian source of quality, standardized, affordable, research-grade marijuana. The requirement for a domestic source is outlined in Health Canada's Research Plan for Marijuana for Medicinal Purposes, released June 9, 1999, by Health Minister Allan Rock. Health Canada aims to have a five-year contract in place by this summer."Establishing a Canadian source of research-grade marijuana is an important step in putting our plan into action,and we will proceed expeditiously" said Minister Rock.Domestically produced marijuana will be used for research in clinical trials with eligible recipients, to gather scientific information on the safety and effectiveness of the drug in alleviating patients’ symptoms which are unresponsive to currently available treatments.The statement of Work contained in the RFP stipulates that the contractor must abide by strict guidelines and regulations in the production, distribution and security practices for a controlled substance. Highlights of the main activities required to be undertaken by the contractor include: setting up and operating a marijuana growing, processing, fabrication and storage establishment in Canada; laboratory testing and quality control of marijuana throughout the product life cycle; fabrication, packaging, labelling and storage of marijuana products and bulk material; distribution of marijuana product to recipients authorized by Health Canada; and conformity with the requirements of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the Food and Drugs Act and their Regulations, including the stringent security aspects required of such a facility and its operations. Progress on research initiatives is continuing. Representatives of the Community Research Initiatives of Toronto and the Canadian HIV Trial Network, in collaboration with Health Canada, have been working on the finalization of a research protocol. It is anticipated that the regulatory and ethical approvals for the research protocol will be obtained in the near future. Enrollment of patients by the clinical investigators will follow. Study participants will be recruited across Canada.As well, the Medical Research Council (MRC), through the Medical Marijuana Research Program solicitation, received research proposals in early March 2000. Projects will be reviewed by the MRC to ensure that they are scientifically meritorious and by Health Canada to ensure that they meet the program objectives. Successful research projects will be posted on the MRC website later this year.As promised last fall, Health Canada has initiated consultations with a broad range of stakeholders, including a consultation in February 2000 that covered the Section 56 (granting of exemptions) process and other related issues. Health Canada has already implemented some recommendations, including improvements to the application form. Information on this consultation will be available soon on the Therapeutic Products Programme website. There are currently 37 exemptions under Section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.To date, marijuana is not approved as a therapeutic drug in any country in the world. Health Canada hopes the planned research projects, supported by the use of a licit supply of research-grade marijuana obtained through this contracting process, will lead to informed scientific and medical decisions on the value of the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.For more information, or to request the Request for Proposal, please contact 1-800-964-MERX (6379) or visit the Web site. Solicitation number: H1021-9-9012/BRequest for Proposal closing date: June 6, 2000 All proposals should be sent to:Bid ReceivingPublic Works and Government Services Canada,Place du Portage, Phase III, Core 0A1,11 Laurier Street,Hull, QuebecK1A 1C9Media inquiries: Jeffrey Pender Health Canada(613) 957-2988 Fran GershbergPublic Works and Government Services Canada(819) 956-9199 Public inquiries: (613) 957-2991 Health Canada To Establish Source of Research-Grade Marijuana:http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/archives/releases/2000/2000_44e.htmHealth Canadahttp://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/CannabisNews Articles On Health Canada:http://alltheweb.com/cgi-bin/search?type=all&query=cannabisnews+Health+Canada
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