Pubdate: Wed, 14 May 2008
Source: Cowichan Valley Citizen (CN BC)
Copyright: 2008 Cowichan Valley Citizen
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/cowichanvalleycitizen/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4349
Author: Lexi Bainas
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

POT INDUSTRY RANKS SECOND IN GDP CONTRIBUTION

A B.C. magazine now places the province's marijuana industry in second
place for its contribution to the B.C. gross domestic project.

BC Business magazine said recently that it now is in second place
ahead of the forest sector and behind construction.

Forest Minister Rich Coleman reacted to the announcement by saying,
"There's nothing a ministry can do to change a marketplace."

BC Business places the provincial marijuana industry at $7.5-billion
with a labour force of over 250,000.

Eric Nash of Valley-based cannabis company, Island Harvest, reacted to
the news by saying, "More than 156,000 people in British Columbia use
marijuana for health purposes. Thousands of unemployed B.C. forest
workers could become gainfully employed in the well-established
cannabis industry."

Island Harvest has been distributing and selling medical marijuana to
customers for the past six years under federal licensing from Ottawa.

Wendy Little, his partner in Island Harvest, added, "Provincially
licensed operations in B.C. have been supplying marijuana to thousands
of people for over 10 years now. It's time to integrate cannabis
sensibly into our economy."

Legally-licenced growers, Little and Nash have called upon the B.C.
government to implement provincial policy and declare the cannabis
production sector a renewable and sustainable health based industry to
create employment and economic growth.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin