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| Great White North |
| Canadian Tokers Complain: Gov Dope Bunk |
| 2003-09-16 |
| 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." "Bogus dope, man. I kept toking and toking and still no high." 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. All three are among 10 patients who have registered with Health Canada to buy dope directly from the government to alleviate their medical symptoms. 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. "We want cannabis because we’re sick!" "OK, here’s your medicial marijuana." "Hey, this stuff is bogus! We’re not getting high, er, healthy." 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. OK, there’s the problem. Everyone knows the best dope is grown in a closet, er, or so I’ve been told. The department originally intended that the product go first to accredited researchers to demonstrate whether or not cannabis is medically effective. They’re still testing, could take a while. 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. Typical government issue "This particular product wouldn’t hold a candle to street level cannabis," he said in an interview. Can’t beat the free market. 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. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #7 My brother is one of those 'card-carrying' patients. Trust me he is not getting better, he is frying his brain. What make it worse is that he gets SSI and a malpractice settlement. So while I schlep off to work everyday, he ‘harvests’ some medicine from his garden. He claims that the pot is the only thing that helps him but the side effects are that he fries his brain a little more each day. I might feel better about it but there are a whole lot of ‘patients’ he hangs around with. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) 2003-9-16 4:23:40 PM |
| #6 Hey, Jerry! What's goin' on at the Other Side™? |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-9-16 1:28:23 PM |
| #5 I don't know what they are complaining about. What do they expect from a socialized medical system? I guarantee you that the folks who smoke medicinal marijuana here in California, a free market medical system, never have the complaints that the Canadians have. In fact, the guys I know who are card carrying medicinal pot smokers (Oakland Club) never seem to complain much at all. I think I will forward the article to the White House. They can use it in a point paper to push their views against socialized medicine. |
| Posted by: Jerry Garcia 2003-9-16 11:46:44 AM |
| #4 I'm surprised the Canadian government didn't make them put filters on the ends of the joints as well. Unfiltered smoke is sooo unhealthy. |
| Posted by: Yank 2003-9-16 11:23:38 AM |
| #3 ...and these government-made Oreos are total sh*t! |
| Posted by: BH 2003-9-16 10:33:33 AM |
| #2 Duuuude . . . this skag is, like, harshing my mellow. |
| Posted by: Mike 2003-9-16 9:42:49 AM |
| #1 the term is ..er..Skag. How long before a suit hits the gov't for providing bad dope, lead poisoning, etc. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-9-16 9:39:28 AM |