Pubdate: Wed, 19 Oct 2016
Source: Powell River Peak (CN BC)
Copyright: 2016 Peak Publishing Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.prpeak.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/734
Author: Jason Schreurs

TESTING FOR SAFETY

As long as marijuana remains illegal in Canada, we are trapped in a
grey area that takes away our power as consumers.

All Canadians should have the right to know what is in the products
they buy, yet because of Health Canada's insistence that it is illegal
for dispensaries or consumers to test marijuana products it also deems
illegal, we are unable to find out if what we are buying is safe.
Without requirements for unlicensed marijuana producers to test their
products, Health Canada is also not ensuring product safety at the
source.

An August Globe and Mail investigation entitled "What's in your weed?"
found that one third of samples collected from Toronto area
dispensaries showed the presence of yeast and/or mould, potentially
causing a variety of illnesses.

One of Health Canada's 35 licensed producers, Nanaimo-based company
Tilray, argued in the Globe and Mail report that the federal
government has sat back and watched the dispensary industry flourish
while not providing consumers any protection, or the ability to
protect themselves.

According to Tilray, after providing test results from samples of
dispensary marijuana showing the presence of pesticides not approved
for humans, mould and high-levels of bacteria, Health Canada did not
do anything.

Shortly after the Globe and Mail report was released, federal health
minister Jane Philpott responded that Health Canada's position on the
risks of obtaining cannabis has not changed.

"These facilities are unlicensed by the federal government, illegally
supplied, and sell a product that may be contaminated or otherwise
unsafe," she stated in a media release.

Philpott added that the federal government has repeatedly reminded the
public that they should not purchase products from dispensaries,
compassion clubs or other organizations it deems illegal.

Yet Health Canada turns a blind eye to the millions and millions of
dollars worth of marijuana products sold at Canadian dispensaries every 
year.

It has been estimated that the more than 80 dispensaries in Vancouver
alone sell between 80 and 240 pounds of marijuana product every 24
hours. Illegal or not, dispensaries are moving a huge amount of
product through their shops on a daily basis.

That product should absolutely be tested for safety with all
ingredients listed, and face the same scrutiny as any other medicine
we buy on a store's shelves.
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MAP posted-by: Matt