Pubdate: Sun, 28 May 2000 Source: Calgary Sun, The (CN AB) Copyright: 2000 The Calgary Sun Contact: 2615 12 Street N.E., Calgary, Alberta T2E 7W9 Fax: (403) 250-4180 Website: http://www.canoe.ca/CalgarySun/ Forum: http://www.canoe.ca/Chat/home.html Author: Ethan Baron OFFICER BIDS FOR POT PACT City cop wants to grow marijuana A 15-year veteran of the Calgary Police with dozens of marijuana busts under his belt is looking to start growing pot himself. Brad McNish, who left the Calgary force three-and-a-half years ago, is bidding on a $5-million federal contract to produce marijuana for Health Canada medical research. "Does marijuana have medicinal value? It is prudent for us to determine if it has other applications apart from stimulating appetite and the desire to enter 7-Eleven at midnight to buy a Slurpee and a Wigwag chocolate bar," he said. Saskatchewan Health and Sensemilla Acres of Blaine Lake, Sask., are also considering bids on the contract. Ex-policeman McNish, 42, is uniquely positioned to grow the drug. He owns Natural Farmworks of Blackfalds near Red Deer, which produces mineral supplements from hydroponically grown barley, wheat and oats. "We already have our own lab. We already know what is required in order to monitor the active ingredient in plants," McNish said. The five-year contract requires production of 100,000 marijuana cigarettes and 100 kg of bulk marijuana in the first year, and double those quantities for the following four years. The pot will be used in Health Canada trials to find out how safe and effective THC is in treating medical problems such as nausea from chemo-therapy. But the government's strongest dope, at 6% THC, will be weaker than pot grown illegally in basements all over Calgary. Calgary hydroponic bud has a potency ranging from 10% to 25%, said drug unit Sgt. Dick Nyenhuis. - --- MAP posted-by: Don Beck