URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n1390/a04.html Pubdate: Mon, 15 Sep 2003 Source: Canadian Press (Canada Wire) Copyright: 2003 Canadian Press Author: Dean Beeby, Canadian Press Also: Photos of both Health Canada's "shwag" and the medical grade cannabis supplied by compassion clubs, along with other research data can be found at http://safeaccess.ca/research/HCvsVICSpics.htm Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada) FIRST TOKERS OF HEALTH CANADA CANNABIS CALL IT DISGUSTING, WANT MONEY BACK OTTAWA (CP) - Some of the first patients to smoke Health Canada's government-approved marijuana say it's "disgusting" and want their money back. "It's totally unsuitable for human consumption," said Jim Wakeford, 58, an AIDS patient in Gibsons, B.C. "It gave me a slight buzziness for about three to five minutes, and that was it. I got no other effect from it." Barrie Dalley, a 52-year-old Toronto man who uses marijuana to combat the nausea associated with AIDS, said the Health Canada dope actually made him sick to his stomach. "I threw up," Dalley said Monday. "It made me nauseous because I had to use so much of it. It was so weak in potency that I really threw up." Both men are returning their 30-gram bags, and Dalley is demanding his money back - $150 plus taxes. Wakeford is returning his unpaid bill for two of the bags with a letter of complaint. A third AIDS patient says he's also unhappy with the product, which is supposed to contain 10.2 per cent THC, the main active ingredient. "I'm still smoking it - I would prefer better, but it's all I've got," said Jari Dvorak, 62, in Toronto. "I think Health Canada certainly should do better with the quality." All three are among 10 patients who have registered with Health Canada to buy dope directly from the government to alleviate their medical symptoms. Another 39 applications are pending. The department was compelled to begin direct distribution in July, following an Ontario court order this year that said needy patients should not be forced to get their cannabis on the streets or from authorized growers, who themselves obtain seeds or cuttings illegally. The marijuana is being grown for Health Canada deep underground in a vacant mine section in Flin Flon, Man., by Prairie Plant Systems on a $5.75-million contract. The department originally intended that the product go first to accredited researchers to demonstrate whether or not cannabis is medically effective. Health Minister Anne McLellan has said she opposes the direct distribution of government cannabis to patients and that the program will end if the department wins its appeal of the Ontario court decision. The government dope also came under fire Monday from Canadians for Safe Access, a patients' rights group that is pressing for supplies of safe, effective marijuana. Laboratory tests indicate the Health Canada product has only about three per cent THC - not the 10.2 per cent advertised - and contains contaminants such as lead and arsenic, said spokesman Philippe Lucas of Victoria. "This particular product wouldn't hold a candle to street level cannabis," he said in an interview. But Lucas declined to identify the three labs that did the testing, other than to indicate they're in Vancouver, saying he fears the facilities might suffer repercussions from Health Canada because they were not authorized to possess the cannabis. He also would not say how the group obtained the sample of government dope. A spokeswoman for Health Canada said the department can't accept laboratory findings from anonymous facilities. "We question the validity of the test results because Canadians for Safe Access has been unwilling to reveal who did the testing, and when the testing was done, and under what conditions," said Krista Apse. She said the Flin Flon cannabis had to meet exacting production standards and was thoroughly tested for its quality. No patients have complained directly to Health Canada so far, Apse said, and the department will not accept returns or provide refunds. Lucas, who smokes marijuana to cope with his hepatitis C infection, said the lab results also showed that the cannabis provided at a Victoria compassion club for patients registers at more than 12 per cent and is freer from contaminants. He said the government cannabis was too finely ground up with stems and leaves, calling it "shwag" or "bunk," street terminology for the lowest grade of marijuana. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [below is the press release distributed early Monday morning that resulted in the media attention] * Health Canada Cannabis Exposed! * Health Canada Cannabis Weak, Non-Organic, and Potentially Unsafe Medical Users Deserve Better, Says Canadians for Safe Access Two weeks ago Health Canada began supplying cannabis to a handful of licensed medicinal users. As a public health initiative, Canadians for Safe Access (www.safeaccess.ca) - a grassroots, patients' rights organization - has tested a sample of the Health Canada cannabis for safety and potency. In order to get a balanced assessment, CSA also tested a comparative sample of organic therapeutic cannabis cultivated by the Vancouver Island Compassion Society (www.thevics.com). The results of these tests are disconcerting, though not entirely surprising. CSA was appalled by the appearance of the supposedly medical-grade product. In order to meet the arbitrary Health Canada requirement that the cannabis not exceed 10% THC, Prairie Plant Systems - the federally appointed cannabis cultivator - has combined the flowering tops of their plants with the stems and lower leaves. This diluted product is ground up for the purpose of homogeneity, and then sterilized using gamma irradiation. This technique remains so controversial due to safety concerns that it has never been used on foodstuffs in North America[ii]. In addition, cannabinoid testing indicates that the Health Canada product is well under 5% THC (3.0%), while the VICS cannabis tested at over 12% THC (12.7%). Accordingly, patients would have to smoke far less of the VICS cannabis in order to get relief of their symptoms. Furthermore, CSA has concerns about the use of chemical phosphate fertilizers in the cultivation process itself, as these have been linked to the development of carcinogenic compounds in food and tobacco[iii]. Heavy metal testing has revealed that levels of arsenic in the government sample more than double that of the VICS cannabis[iv]; higher levels of lead were also detected. Biological testing has revealed that although both samples appear to be free of dangerous biological contaminants, the irradiated Health Canada product had 10X more colony forming units (CFUs) than the VICS organic cannabis.[v] "Considering that this is a medicine, it's negligent that safer cultivation techniques weren't employed. Our government is spending over $5 million dollars to produce cannabis that couldn't hold a candle to the average street marijuana," says Philippe Lucas, Director of the Canadians for Safe Access and a legal user of medicinal cannabis. "Sadly, this poor-quality product will be used in Health Canada's anemic research program. This is yet another sign of the total disregard being shown for thousands of critically and chronically ill Canadians who need immediate access to a safe supply of therapeutic cannabis." Canadians for Safe Access feels that Health Canada and the Office of Cannabis Medical Access has completely mishandled this important program from day one, a sentiment echoed by the courts and the Canadian Medical Association. Meanwhile, Canada's network of compassion societies continues to help over 5000 Canadians gain access to a safe and diverse supply of therapeutic cannabis at no cost to the taxpayer. Unlike the Health Canada program, distribution through these clubs is safe, affordable, and has a high degree of support from both therapeutic users and the public. "It's high time for Minister McLellan to acknowledge Health Canada's total failure and ineptitude in its handling of therapeutic cannabis research, distribution, and cultivation," states Lucas. "Canada's critically and chronically ill deserve much better from Health Canada; we need a safe and affordable supply of medicinal cannabis right now." Canadians for Safe Access Contacts: Western Canada: Philippe Lucas 250-884-9821 Rielle Capler 604-875-0214 Eric Nash 250-748-8614 Central Canada: Dom Cramer 416-896-3240 Alison Myrden 905-681-8287 Eastern Canada: Debbie Stultz-Giffin 902-665-2355 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- see exclusive, never-published high-resolution pictures of the Health Canada and VICS cannabis as well as the cannabinoid test results at: http://safeaccess.ca/research/HCvsVICSpics.htm [ii] See: http://www.organicconsumers.org/Irrad/irradfactreferences.rtf for potential dangers of irradiation. [iii] For information on the dangers of chemical phosphate fertilizers compared to organic sources of phosphorous, see: http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/2673.html [iv] The Health Canada cannabis tested at 2ppm of arsenic vs. less than 1ppm in the VICS cannabis. [v] See test results and charts at: http://safeaccess.ca/research/HCvsVICSpics.htm