Pubdate: Tue, 08 Dec 2015
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2015 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Mike Hager
Page: S1

OTTAWA GRANTS POT-OIL LICENCE TO COMMERCIAL PRODUCER

Ottawa has given a commercial medical marijuana producer the first
licence to sell cannabis oils through the federally regulated
mail-order system, six months after a Supreme Court ruling forced
Health Canada to allow access to edible forms of the drug.

Peace Naturals Project Inc., based in Stayner, Ont., announced Monday
that is the first commercial producer to be approved to sell cannabis
oil. Fourteen other commercial producers are listed on Health Canada's
website as being permitted to produce cannabis oil, but they are still
awaiting bureaucratic approval to sell it. Currently, 20 producers are
licensed to sell dried marijuana.

Health Canada updated its website Friday to reflect Peace Naturals'
new status and said more licences to sell oil "will be granted
imminently."

Peace Naturals issued a news release that said it looks forward to
sales of the new product and "has always seen non-combustible
consumption as the more viable solution for Canadians in need."

A dearth of clinical evidence on the efficacy of the plant's touted
benefits - either dried or in an oil - means many physicians simply
don't know enough about cannabis to recommend it to patients, while
Health Canada has not formally approved cannabis as a medicine.

In June, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled unanimously that the
federal rules for medical marijuana were arbitrary and counter to
government's duty to protect the health of its citizens. The court
said making patients buy only the smokable form of the drug subjected
sick people to the risks of cancer and lung infections and could
prevent them from choosing a more effective treatment.

Advocates have long argued that edibles can offer many hours of relief
from symptoms when the correct dose is taken. In contrast, they say
those who smoke the drug must consume their doses much more frequently
over a comparable period of time.

Industry insiders predicted the Supreme Court's "edibles" ruling might
lead to licensed producers selling products such as cookies, lip balm
or lozenges, but Health Canada, under the guidance of the federal
Conservatives, approved only the sale of concentrated cannabis oil.

Many licensed growers are anxious to begin selling the oils, which
have been offered by illegal dispensaries for years. Up until now,
these regulated producers have been forced to sell only dried
marijuana through the mail and have had underwhelming growth in their
patient bases as they compete with illegal dispensaries, which are
popping up across the country and can offer a variety of products and
face-to-face sales.

Brent Zettl, CEO of licensed producer Prairie Plant Systems Inc., said
his company's lawyer sent Health Canada a letter last week stating
that with or without a final inspection it will begin selling its oils
by Dec. 17. Mr. Zettl, whose company has grown marijuana under one
federal system or another for the past 15 years, said the oils have
been ready for sale since Oct. 18 and 1,600 clients who registered for
the new product are getting tired of waiting.

"I don't expect [Health Canada] to be very happy about it, but it's
the lesser of two evils," said Mr. Zettl, referencing his impatient
clients.

Adam Greenblatt, executive director of Montreal's Sante Cannabis
clinic and resource centre, said he was surprised at the
"prohibitively high" cost of the derivatives - Peace Naturals is
offering one 30-mL bottle for $125 and another with higher amounts of
the drug's psychoactive THC compound for $240.

At his clinic, he offers to turn 30 grams of dried marijuana into a
batch of edible oil for patients. They have to pay anywhere from $75
to $400 through the federal mail-order system for the marijuana and
then another $80 for his services. But he said they end up with an
amount of oil that dwarfs the quantity sold by Peace Naturals and
lasts the average patient two months. He makes his oils with olive,
avocado or coconut oil and insists on a $150 third-party lab test for
quality when dealing with pediatric epilepsy patients, he added.

"I don't foresee an end to me making cannabis derivatives for patients
because the restrictions placed on licensed producers are still
completely arbitrary and ridiculous," Mr. Greenblatt said Monday.

The federal Liberal government has promised to legalize marijuana,
though it has yet to say what that system will look like or whether it
will affect the medical pot system.
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MAP posted-by: Matt