OTTAWA (CP) - Some patients are spurning a new batch of government-certified marijuana, dismissing Health Canada claims that it's a stronger, better quality smoke. "It's no good," Marco Renda, 45, said Monday from his home in Dundalk, Ont. "I took two puffs and I put it out. "It had a chemical taste to it. It didn't taste right to me and it didn't burn properly. It had no effect." Prairie Plant Systems, which produces medical marijuana on contract for Health Canada, began shipping a second batch of its product on May 21 after getting bad reviews about the initial harvest. [continues 370 words]
PSSST, KEEP off the government's grass. That's the message from medicinal marijuana smokers who have sampled Health Canada's second attempt at government-certified marijuana. The batch is being advertised as stronger and better than the first, which was returned by about 30% of the people who bought it. It's supposed to have a 12% THC level and fewer stems, making it purer smoke. The verdict? Strike two. "It's still not good enough," said Philippe Lucas of Canadians for Safe Access, a British Columbia group that is warning all medical marijuana users to stay away from the new pot until it completes new lab tests. [continues 194 words]
Second Batch Has 'Chemical Taste to It' SOME patients are spurning a new batch of Flin Flon's medicinal marijuana, dismissing Health Canada claims that it's a stronger, better-quality smoke. "It's no good," Marco Renda, 45, said yesterday from his home in Dundalk, Ont. "I took two puffs and I put it out. It had a chemical taste to it. It didn't taste right to me and it didn't burn properly. It had no effect." Prairie Plant Systems, which produces medical marijuana on contract for Health Canada, began shipping a second batch of its product on May 21 after getting bad reviews about the initial harvest. [continues 454 words]
Some patients are spurning a new batch of government-certified marijuana, dismissing Health Canada claims that it's a stronger, better quality smoke. "It's no good," Marco Renda, 45, said yesterday from his home in Dundalk. "I took two puffs and I put it out. "It had a chemical taste to it. It didn't taste right to me and it didn't burn properly. It had no effect." Prairie Plant Systems, which produces medical marijuana on contract for Health Canada, began shipping a second batch of its product on May 21 after getting bad reviews about the initial harvest. [continues 295 words]
OTTAWA -- Some patients are spurning a new batch of government-certified marijuana, dismissing Health Canada claims that it's a stronger, better-quality smoke. "It's no good," Marco Renda, 45, said Monday from his home in Dundalk, Ont. "I took two puffs and I put it out. It had a chemical taste to it. It didn't taste right to me and it didn't burn properly. It had no effect." Prairie Plant Systems, which produces medical marijuana on contract for Health Canada, began shipping a second batch of its product on May 21 after getting bad reviews about the initial harvest. [continues 238 words]
OTTAWA -- Some patients are spurning a new batch of governmentcertified marijuana, dismissing Health Canada claims that it's a stronger, better-quality smoke "It's no good," Marco Renda, 45, said Monday from his home in Dundalk, Ont. "I took two puffs and I put it out "It had a chemical taste to it. It didn't taste right to me, and it didn't burn properly. It had no effect." Prairie Plant Systems, which produces medical marijuana on contract for Health Canada, began shipping a second batch of its product on May 21 after getting bad reviews about the initial harvest [continues 404 words]
OTTAWA - Some patients are spurning a new batch of government-certified marijuana, dismissing Health Canada claims that it's a stronger, better quality smoke. "It's no good," Marco Renda, 45, said Monday from his home in Dundalk, Ont. "I took two puffs and I put it out. "It had a chemical taste to it. It didn't taste right to me and it didn't burn properly. It had no effect." Prairie Plant Systems, which produces medical marijuana on contract for Health Canada, began shipping a second batch of its product on May 21 after getting bad reviews about the initial harvest. [continues 571 words]
OTTAWA (CP) -- Some patients are spurning a new batch of government-certified marijuana, dismissing Health Canada claims that it's a stronger, better quality smoke. "It's no good," Marco Renda, 45, said today from his home in Dundalk, Ont. "I took two puffs and I put it out. "It had a chemical taste to it. It didn't taste right to me and it didn't burn properly. It had no effect." [continues 601 words]
Our friendly neighbourhood pot promoters, Canadians for Safe Access (CSA), are calling for an immediate moratorium on the distribution of medical pot after independent testing of the feds' bud revealed that THC levels are nowhere near the 10.2 per cent claimed by Health Canada. According to two tests conducted by the Quebec National Institute of Public Health, Health Canada's cannabis contains only 5 per cent THC, barely enough to catch a buzz, let alone have any real therapeutic effect. For all their talk about health care, the feds seem content to toy with the health of thousands of chronically ill Canadians. [end]
Ottawa - To potheads this past weekend, the Fill The Hill protest was game seven of the Stanley Cup playoffs and election-night drama rolled into one giant spliff. Here were 2,000 kind souls from across our beautiful, great green nation toking on Parliament Hill. Lately, though, those attending pro-grass rallies might have begun to wonder if they are unofficial NDP conventions. Chances are the person passing that doobie sits on a riding executive - or is even a party candidate, like rally speaker Alison Myrden from Oakville. [continues 869 words]
Where There's Smoke There's Fire As Marijuana Advocates Face Off In The Run-Up To The Federal Election Canada's budding marijuana movement has some festering political fissures that could surface when activists from across the country gather this weekend on Parliament Hill. The movement is caught between two Marcs: rock musician Marc Boris St-Maurice, leader of the ever-fledgling Marijuana Party, and former ally, B.C.'s millionaire seed salesman Marc Emery, now crusading for Jack Layton's NDP. [continues 874 words]
Fill The Hill Rally Goes Ahead Despite Wrangling Between Marijuana Party And NDP Canada's budding marijuana movement could show some internal divisions when activists from across the country gather this weekend on Parliament Hill. The election finds the movement caught between two Marcs: rock musician, Marc Boris St-Maurice, laid-back leader of the ever-fledgling federal Marijuana Party, and his former ally, B.C.'s millionaire seed salesman, Marc Emery, who now crusades for Jack Layton's NDP. They'll present their respective cases at Saturday's "Fill The Hill" rally. [continues 1165 words]
Stymied by a Liberal government that dismisses change to Canada's marijuana laws-saying they would be going against UN treaties and "international obligations"-the national marijuana movement is slowly sowing its own seeds to overgrow the rest of the world. And Alison Myrden is at the razor-sharp end of the hoe. Myrden-the NDP's Oakville candidate, a prominent marijuana cheerleader and sufferer of MS and Tic Douloureux-is building an international Rolodex with goals of launching a worldwide marijuana organization and movement within a year. [continues 1194 words]
An Access to Information request by Canadians for Safe Access, a medical marijuana lobby group, came up with some interesting facts about the government's medical marijuana program. According to Health Canada statistics, as of March 31, the Office of Cannabis Medical Access had sent out 295 oz. of cannabis to the 93 legal users who ordered the product (29 have returned it due to poor quality). Prairie Plant Systems Inc. of Saskatoon--which grows the marijuana at its facility in Flin Flon, Man.--has a five-year, $5.7-million contract that ends early next year. Estimating that $4.5 million has been spent so far, that means Canadian taxpayers have been paying roughly $15,000 per ounce. [end]
OSHAWA-- It's the only thing that makes life bearable, but it has made Jillian a criminal. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis three years ago, the 25-year-old relies on her daily puffs of marijuana to control her pain and the side effects from prescribed medication. The injections of Interferon Beta-1a, which she must take three times a week to curb her attacks, put her into an emotional tailspin, from fits of rage to crying jags. The medication burns and causes her skin to swell. [continues 865 words]
A Freedom of Information request has confirmed the suspicions of medical marijuana advocates who claim that government-grown marijuana is being rejected by a large number of patients. Documents obtained by Canadians for Safe Access show that the government marijuana has been returned by nearly a third of the 93 legally exempt users allowed to buy pot from Health Canada, the federal ministry responsible for Canada's medical marijuana policies. Philippe Lucas, founder of the Vancouver Island Compassion Club and member of Canadians for Safe Access, slammed the government for botching its experiment with medical marijuana and then trying to cover its tracks. [continues 226 words]
Today in our series "Could Government Be More Useless?" we follow up yesterday's conclusion "Hard to Imagine" with the epilogue "So Which Government, Federal or Provincial, is More Useless?" Consider the following comparison of two actual news events this week. TRUE NEWS ITEM A: Marijuana grown by the federal government is so bad that a third of the patients with medical approval to smoke it have sent back the pot, says an advocate for medicinal cannabis. Phillippe Lucas told Canadian Press that tests commissioned by his group, Canadians for Safe Access, found the medicinal marijuana to be only half as strong as the federal government claims and, in many cases, ineffective against pain. Documents he obtained through a federal access to information request indicate 29 of 92 approved users have returned or cancelled their orders. [continues 604 words]
OTTAWA -- Nearly a third of the patients who got marijuana through Health Canada's medical-access program have returned the product. "High school students in a cupboard could grow a product that is better and safer than what we're getting," said Philippe Lucas, who obtained the figures through the federal access to information law. "I think it's much weaker than the government claims. I'd really suggest their testing is off." Lucas, head of Canadians for Safe Access, said tests by his pro-pot lobby group have found the federal product contains only 5.1 per cent THC rather than the 10.2 per cent claimed by Health Canada. It doesn't even look appealing, he added. [continues 262 words]
Nearly One-Third of Patients Return Their Pot, Activist Says OTTAWA -- Nearly a third of the patients who got marijuana through Health Canada's medical access program have returned the product, says an activist who sees that as proof federal pot isn't worth smoking. "High school students in a cupboard could grow a product that is better and safer than what we're getting," said Philippe Lucas, who obtained the figures through the federal access to information law. "I think it's much weaker than the government claims. I'd really suggest their testing is off." [continues 446 words]
OTTAWA -- There's a new scandal creating a buzz on Parliament Hill. Bad weed. Nearly a third of the patients who obtained marijuana through Health Canada's medical access program have returned the product, says an activist who sees that as proof federal pot isn't worth smoking. "High school students in a cupboard could grow a product that is better and safer than what we're getting," said Philippe Lucas, who obtained the figures through the federal access to information law. [continues 446 words]
