cannabisnews.com: Government Swamped With Bids To Grow Marijuana





Government Swamped With Bids To Grow Marijuana
Posted by FoM on May 27, 2000 at 06:20:28 PT
By Jack Aubry, The Ottawa Citizen
Source: Ottawa Citizen
The title of Canada's official marijuana pusher is being hotly contested this month from coast to coast. Ever since Health Canada released the terms of a five-year contract it plans to give a Canadian supplier of marijuana this summer, requests for more information have been coming in like green buds in the spring. 
Potential dope growers include McGill and Guelph universities, SNC-Lavalin, GW Pharmaceuticals, British Columbia's Ministry of Forestry, the village of Masset, B.C., and something called the Molecular Delivery Corporation in California. In total, the department has received 195 orders for its 65-page information package, at a cost of more than $50 a request, from potential bidders for the contract, estimated by some at around $5 million. The contract would see the production of 100,000 cigarettes and 85 kilos of marijuana in the first year. The weed has to be grown, cultivated, dried, prepared and delivered to the government. The marijuana will be used for clinical research trials to gather scientific evidence on whether it's safe and effective for patients to smoke marijuana for medicinal purposes. Suzanne Joly, of Lavalin, was quick to dismiss the engineering firm's interest, saying the large Quebec corporation receives bidding packages for all federal contracts. GW Pharmaceuticals, of England, which grows marijuana for its own government, has been sent more information and already has had its facilities visited by federal government officials. David Dunphy, of Green Wonder Gardening Inc. in Dartmouth, N.S., says his company's bid is almost ready. He acknowledges he has some experience growing "weed" in British Columbia and promises to deliver quality marijuana that is just as good as "B.C. gold." Dunphy, who currently grows cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes, said the marijuana would be grown indoors, allowing total control of all variables such as humidity and temperature. Clinton Mutch, a spokesman for Masset's economic development office, says the village of 1,400 is looking to diversify its economy since fishing and logging in the area are drying up. Brian Bender, of the Alfred College of the University of Guelph, said the agriculture university is still looking at putting in a bid before the June 6 deadline and is looking for partners such as McGill. "We have the location and the expertise but the time is limited to put in such an extensive bid. It would be good for our college in terms of prestige but Idon't know if we have enough time," said Bender, who estimates security requirements would cost at least $225,000. He said the college's location in Alfred, near Ottawa, is an ideal place to grow marijuana considering how close it is to the RCMP headquarters, Health Canada and the Medical Research Centre. The government is calling for security cameras, infrared sensors and barbed wire fences as well as personnel who have no record since 1985 of any drug offences in Canada or any other country. Hull lawyer Pierre Bourget, who is putting together a bid for a hydroponics equipment firm in Gatineau, said he has heard through the grapevine that "guys in the Hull jail" have been looking at making a bid. "There chances aren't very good but it shows you how it has people talking," said Bourget. The B.C. Ministry of Forestry is backing away from making a bid because it was decided there were too many "pitfalls." "Already the internal jokes were starting around here, like having to hire someone named Bud," said Anthony Willington at the ministry's Surrey Nursery. He said among the pitfalls was the potential for embarrassment for the province's politicians, turning the ministry into "a laughingstock." Published: Saturday 27 May 2000 Copyright 2000 Ottawa Citizen Related Articles & Web Sites:Health Canadahttp://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/U.K. Medicinal Cannabis Project - G.W. Pharmaceuticalshttp://medicinal-cannabis.org/project/main.htmlTop Brains To Buzz About Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread5833.shtmlB.C. To Ottawa: This Bud's for You http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread5634.shtml
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Comment #5 posted by Deon C. on August 20, 2001 at 10:14:04 PT:
information on marijuana research
Can someone out there please send me information on how to be involved in any research programs available that would allow me to get paid to smoke legally. 
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Comment #4 posted by Carole LeCam on April 16, 2001 at 17:16:32 PT:
Growing marijuana
I would like to receive information regarding the growing of marijuana for the government of Canada.As a tobacco grower, I believe that this would be an easy switch. This would help eliminate the growing of tobacco, which is very contraversial, to growing marijuana under a controlled environment.Please forward any information that is available.Thank you.
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Comment #3 posted by Charles Gregg on April 03, 2001 at 12:00:23 PT:
Get Paid Smoke Pot!!!!!!!
I don't want to buy the confedintal report because I think that book is a rip off and a half. I would like to make my own book up if I could so please give me some good information thanx.
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Comment #2 posted by kaptinemo on May 28, 2000 at 09:42:28 PT:
Beware the friendly (government) stranger!
Back in the early 60's in China, there were a lot of dissidents who were fed up with Mao's regime. These dissidents would have proved to be a major political liability. So Mao, crafty old murdering b-----d that he was, let a lot of people go ahead and make public criticisms of his regime, leading them to think a sort of 'Prague Spring' was coming, and the government was becoming freer and more liberal.Then, when he felt that enough of the dissidents had identified themselves, he sent his goons out to round them up. Few made it to the show trials. Even fewer made it out of the work camps.Canadians growers, don't be fooled into thinking the same sort of thing won't happen, up there. The political and legal equivalent happens all the time down here. It's called "Entrapment". 
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on May 27, 2000 at 11:58:00 PT
Call For Pot-Growers Heard Around B.C.
Call For Pot-Growers Heard Around B.C.Saturday 27 May 2000 Vancouver Sunhttp://www.vancouversun.com/The deadline for bids on a federal contract to grow medicinal marijuana is June 6. Mark Brown Vancouver Sun; With files from Jack Aubry, Southam News. B.C. Lions president Glen Ringdal, the village of Masset and the B.C. forests ministry were among the long list of parties who expressed interest in Health Canada's tender call for supplying medicinal marijuana. Although the forests ministry has already decided it won't put in a bid, and Ringdal is dubious, nearly 200 individuals and corporations from across Canada sought information on becoming Canada's official marijuana source. Health Canada announced in early May that it was planning to award a five-year, multi-million-dollar contract for a Canadian supplier of the drug. Bids are to be in by June 6. The contract called for the production of 100,000 cigarettes and 85 kilograms of marijuana in the first year. The weed has to be cultivated, dried, prepared and delivered to the government. The value of the contract has been estimated at about $5 million. The marijuana will be used for clinical research trials to gather scientific evidence on whether it's safe and effective for patients to smoke marijuana for medicinal purposes. Ringdal, who is using his number at B.C. Lions as a contact number for the application, said he asked for the information because he wanted to find out what was involved in the project. He stressed that his interest is personal and does not involve the football club in any way. Ringdal said he has a partner who is licensed to grow industrial hemp, so he already has an interest in the hemp business. "It's a related business and I wanted to find out what was involved in this application," he said. As for the smoking kind of marijuana, he said that judging from the few puffs he took back in 1968, he doesn't even like the smell of it. He said the application process is very complicated, and the project may prove not to be viable. "I don't know if we will ever get to the point where we can make an application." The 65-page information package says bidders must be able to show they have the financial capability, the ability to provide a secure environment for the project and the proper resources. The government is interested in growing the marijuana only in a greenhouse. Masset sees the tender call as an opportunity to diversify the economy of the small, isolated community, said Clinton Mutch, the town's economic development coordinator . Even if the contract means only 20 new jobs, it would be significant for the town's 1,400 residents, he said. Mutch said the town has been under a lot of economic pressure with the Canadian military's withdrawal of a base in the region, along with the slowdown of the local fishing and logging industries. The timing for the application was convenient for the town because it was already planning to build a greenhouse to grow fresh vegetables for the island, Mutch said. "Even if in five years we lose the contract to another bidder, we are still left with the greenhouse, which would be fully paid for." He said the town is still working on the application and trying to secure partners for the project, adding he's not sure if it will be able to meet the June 6 deadline. Even though the B.C. forests ministry felt the project was important enough to look at, it has since decided it does not make business sense, said Eric Kristianson, the ministry's manager of media relations. He said the project requires eight hectares (20 acres) of greenhouse space, which the ministry does not have. The ministry had Surrey Nurseries look into the viability of the project, but nursery manager Anthony Willington said there were "too many pitfalls and speed bumps in the project." He added, "I was a little surprised we looked at it as closely as we did." After about a week of analysis, the project was killed at a policy level on Monday. Other potential dope growers from across Canada include McGill and Guelph universities, SNC-Lavalin and GW Pharmaceuticals. Copyright The Vancouver Sun and Pacific Press © 1997
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