Pubdate: Wed, 14 Dec 2016
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2016 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Grant Robertson
Page: A9
Referenced: http://mapinc.org/url/spC7LQBu

TESTING POT SHOULD BE 'A CORNERSTONE': REPORT

As Canada prepares to become the largest jurisdiction in the world to
legalize recreational marijuana, a federal task force has told Ottawa
it should also require the product to be lab-tested, safe to consume
and free of harmful contaminants such as bacteria, mould and dangerous
pesticides.

That recommendation was part of a report released on Tuesday that will
be a blueprint for new legislation expected in the spring.

The call from the Federal Task Force on Cannabis Legalization for
mandatory product testing and accurate depictions of potency on
packaging comes after concerns were raised over a lack of regulations
and consumer protection in the cannabis dispensary industry, which has
proliferated this year leading up to legalization.

A Globe and Mail investigation last summer revealed that one-third of
nine samples of cannabis obtained from store-front dispensaries in
Toronto contained potentially harmful bacteria or mould and would not
have met Health Canada safety standards, and posed particular risks to
people with compromised immune systems, including the elderly.

A subsequent Globe investigation revealed Health Canada had been
warned that dangerous chemicals not approved for human use, such as
the pesticide dodemorph, had been found in samples of dispensary
cannabis sold in Vancouver, although Health Canada did nothing about
it, citing a lack of regulations.

In its announcement on Tuesday, the federal task force said it wants
product safety and lab testing to be "a cornerstone" of the new
regulated system.

"The Task Force agrees that the new regulatory framework should ensure
that products meet rigorous safety and quality standards in order to
protect public health and safety," the report said.

"Only approved fertilizers and pesticides should be allowed;
potentially hazardous moulds should not be present."

The report also called for packaging to have accurate depictions of
the drug's potency, including THC and CBD levels. THC, or
tetrahydrocannabinol, gives marijuana its intoxicating effect, while
CBD, or cannabidiol, is sought for pain relief or to manage conditions
such as epilepsy.

The Globe's investigation uncovered wild inaccuracies in the levels of
THC and CBD in marijuana sold at store-front dispensaries, which have
sprung up by the hundreds across the country, particularly in Toronto
and Vancouver.

In September, Health Canada acknowledged the department was concerned
about the findings and consumer safety. "The test results provided to
the Department by your paper bear this out," Health Canada said in a
statement to The Globe.

The task force made a similar acknowledgment in its report, saying
"the media shone their light on issues of quality and regulatory
gaps," which helped shape the recommendations.

Among the key problems raised by The Globe's investigation was the
fact that the country's accredited labs - often used to test consumer
products from food to cosmetics - were not allowed to test marijuana
for safety on behalf of the public, including patients who used it for
medical reasons. The lab that tested for The Globe did so as a public
service on condition that the newspaper would not identify it.

Health Canada began to change those rules in August, giving the labs
the right to test legally for registered medical patients. Now the
task force report has called on the government to expand the number of
facilities capable of testing so that proper consumer protection can
be assured.

"The mandatory product testing recommended by the Task Force is
intended to minimize the risk of contaminated products entering the
market and to verify the information on labelling, in order to help
consumers make informed decisions," the report said.

"This will require sufficient laboratory testing capacity to ensure
that the products manufactured meet specific quality standards and
that the stated potency for specific products is accurate."

The task force, chaired by former deputy prime minster Anne McLellan,
spent several months consulting industry and the medical community on
how to build the regulations for legalization. Among those groups, The
Canadian Nurses Association urged the government to ensure good
manufacturing practices and consumer protections in an industry that
is expected to be worth billions of dollars.

"There was widespread agreement among stakeholders and experts that
strict controls are necessary to assure product quality, security and
safety," the report said.
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MAP posted-by: Matt