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Reliable pot supplier hard to find
By: John McDonald, Kelowna Capital News (CN BC), 12-15-04

It was big news when the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in 2001 that the government could not stand in the way of Canadian citizens using marijuana to ease the pain and symptoms of certain chronic or terminal illnesses.

While the publicity has died down, the reality of obtaining a reliable supply of quality marijuana has remained the same for several thousand Canadians granted an exemption under Health Canada's Medical Marijuana Access Regulations.

For Richard Babcock, a former addict living in Kelowna with full-blown AIDS and hepatitis C, it's been a constant hassle to keep his prescription filled.

"Finding someone with integrity to grow for me has been a big run-around," said Babcock, who uses the drug to spark an appetite left dulled by the 40-odd pills he must take everyday.

"This is not a cure but it sure as Hell is treatment," said Babcock, who tips the scales at 125 pounds.

"If I didn't have medical marijuana to keep me eating, who knows what would happen. I'd probably blow away in the wind."

He's gone through two growers since he first received his exemption and is currently looking for a third through a classified ad in the Capital News.

Babcock found his first grower on Vancouver Island on a tip and, at first, it worked out well.

"The guy was growing it for his daughter who had some condition," he said.

"But after a while it started to go wrong. He was losing interest and I was getting empty boxes sent to me or shake (low quality leaf) that wasn't worth a damn."

As well, Babcock suspects employees of the companies used to ship the drug from Vancouver Island may have intercepted his package.

His second grower was even worse, taking six months to produce just five ounces, the amount he would normally smoke in one month.

"I had to call the OCMA (Office of Cannabis Medical Access) and get rid of him," said Babcock. "He had no integrity."

With his current supply dwindling fast, Babcock isn't sure what he will do in a month, especially when the provincial ministry of human resources, which administers his disability pension, has refused to cover the cost of buying the drug from the OCMA.

"I'm on a fixed income. What am I supposed to do?" he said.

Letters to the OCMA, which charges $150 an ounce for marijuana grown under contract in an old mine shaft in Flin Flon, Man., produced an unsympathetic response.

OCMA manager Valerie Lasher wrote to Babcock saying that marijuana is not an approved therapeutic product and there is no prescription available for it, so many health insurers have decided not to cover the cost.

Lasher also wrote that the price for OCMA marijuana covers the cost of production and it is not unusual that some costs are passed on to patients.

"Even if I could get it for free, I've heard that it's no good, that they've taken all the THC (active ingredient of marijuana) out of it," Babcock added.

A request for an interview with the OCMA was not returned by press deadline, but medical marijuana advocate Eric Nash said Babcock's situation is not unique.

"People obtaining medical marijuana legally have three choices and they all have their pros and cons," said Nash, who operates a business called Island Harvest that specializes in growing certified organic medical marijuana.

"They can grow it themselves, have someone grow it for them or buy it from the OCMA."

Nash said the negative perception in the media of grow operations means most landlords will not sign the consent form.

"It's OK if you own your own place but if you're renting, the landlord has to fill out a Form E allowing you to grow legally," said Nash, who has written a book on the subject.

"The funny thing is that it can be grown quite safely when it's properly regulated. It's when it's grown underground the problems arise."

Picking a designated grower also has its obvious problems as does buying it from the OCMA, Nash added.

"You don't know what you're getting when you're buying it from the government contractor or off the street," said Nash.

He claims the government supplied marijuana is not organic and has been found to be of low THC levels during local tests which also found traces of heavy metals .

He suggests Babcock talk to his local MP.

"He should be issuing a serious complaint about the whole situation he's in," added Nash.