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Ottawa puts high price tag on its pot

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Ottawa � The federal government charges patients 15 times more for certified medical marijuana than it pays to buy the weed in bulk from its official supplier, newly released documents show. Critics say it's unconscionable to charge that high a markup to some of the country's sickest citizens, who have little income and are often cut off from their medical marijuana supply when they can't pay their government dope bills. Records obtained under the Access to Information Act show that Health Canada pays $328.75 for each kilogram of bulk medical marijuana produced by Prairie Plant Systems Inc. The company currently has a $10.3-million contract with Health Canada, which expires at the end of September, to grow standardized medical marijuana in an abandoned mine shaft in Flin Flon, Man. Health Canada, in turn, sells the marijuana to a small group of authorized users for $150, plus GST, for each 30-gram bag of ground-up flowering tops, with a strength of up to 14 per cent THC, the main active ingredient. That works out to $5,000 for each kilogram, or a markup of more than 1,500 per cent. �It's impossible for a person on disability,� said Ron Lawrence, 38, a burn victim in Windsor, Ont., who needs medical marijuana to control severe pain. �The sickest people are the ones that need it the most...they're the ones who don't work.� Adds Scott McCluskey, 48, in Westbank, B.C., who suffers spinal-cord pain that is eased by marijuana: �They're selling it for criminal street prices...I don't think anybody, especially seriously ill people...should have to pay this type of money for medicine.� Currently, 1,742 patients are authorized by Health Canada to possess dried marijuana as a medication. Of these, 1,040 are licensed to grow their own, and another 167 people are licensed to grow marijuana for the exclusive use of licensed patients. But patients can also order marijuana through Health Canada's official supplier, Prairie Plant Systems, which typically delivers the product by courier. �At a time when medical cannabis users all too often have to choose between buying groceries and their medicine, it is unconscionable that Health Canada...should be marking up this product 1,500 per cent,� said Philippe Lucas of Victoria-based Canadians for Safe Access, which promotes ready access to medical marijuana. A spokesman for the department, Jason Bouzanis, said the quoted price of $328.75 a kilogram for bulk marijuana does not include other Health Canada costs. �The price for individuals authorized to possess marijuana for medical purposes is based on the actual cost of production and an estimate of costs associated with the distribution of the product,� he said. �These costs are subject to change.� Street prices for marijuana are about $10 a gram for small quantities � or about twice Health Canada's price � though bulk street purchases with few middlemen can match or better the government price. Compassion clubs charge as low as $5 a gram, the same price as government dope. Because medical marijuana is not a recognized drug, with its own drug identification number, insurance companies and government drug programs do not reimburse patients for costs, as they do for other pain medication. Many patients say they are unhappy with the quality of the Prairie Plant System product.

Fuck the government is selling shitty weed for street prices? WTF.

Good job guys.

link

just decriminalize it already and let people do whatever the fuck they want.

create/amend laws that prohibit being impaired while driving...prohibit being impaired at work and in public.

$150 is hardly highway robbery for pot. unless you have a solid hook-up, or are buying in bulk, that's significantly below the typical street price for an ounce (which is also only 28 grams, not 30).

still, if pot is being granted "medicinal" status, the gov't shouldn't be profiting from it this much

Re: Ottawa puts high price tag on its pot

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Originally posted by Orko Fuck the government is selling shitty weed for street prices? WTF.

Actually, 14% THC content is hardly shitty weed. That shit would still get you

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Re: Ottawa puts high price tag on its pot

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Originally posted by Orko Fuck the government is selling shitty weed for street prices? WTF. Good job guys.

I would assume it's more because they have to put them just at street prices because if theirs was higher, their customers would just buy on the street.

3 bills for a KILO? Ahahaha Prairie Plant Systems should open an online store

i guess they dont want people turning over their prescription for a profit

so how does one get a prescription???


Anyone know any currupt doctors??

Re: Re: Ottawa puts high price tag on its pot

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Originally posted by above'N'beyond Actually, 14% THC content is hardly shitty weed. That shit would still get you ......................

Well I do not know what the THC content of street bud is, but every article I have ever read, the users say the same thing: street weed > gov weed.

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Originally posted by MarkT just decriminalize it already and let people do whatever the fuck they want. create/amend laws that prohibit being impaired while driving...prohibit being impaired at work and in public. $150 is hardly highway robbery for pot. unless you have a solid hook-up, or are buying in bulk, that's significantly below the typical street price for an ounce (which is also only 28 grams, not 30). still, if pot is being granted "medicinal" status, the gov't shouldn't be profiting from it this much

Words of wisdom. I wish every post in this forum had this much logic.

2 main reasons for higher prices from gov't vs. street prices:

1) Discourage resale
Nobody buying medicinal product is going to resell it if they pay more than street value.

2) Encourage higher quality product
More money spent in growing product equals higher quality product.

1 main reason for prices lower than street prices:

1) Encourage legitimate users to purchase from gov't vs. street.

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Originally posted by rabbitjoker 2) Encourage higher quality product More money spent in growing product equals higher quality product.

but the gov't is only paying 5% of the selling price

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Originally posted by rabbitjoker 2) Encourage higher quality product More money spent in growing product equals higher quality product.

I disagree. I don't see how charging a higher price leads to a higher investment back into the "development" of the product. It would be nice, but I doubt they're spending more money on growing the actual plants.

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Originally posted by infinity HiGH I disagree. I don't see how charging a higher price leads to a higher investment back into the "development" of the product. It would be nice, but I doubt they're spending more money on growing the actual plants.

The government spends a significant amount of money on the development of a standardized product. Not to mention the research, the facilities to grow, the security at the facilities, etc.

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Originally posted by rabbitjoker The government spends a significant amount of money on the development of a standardized product. Not to mention the research, the facilities to grow, the security at the facilities, etc.

Disagreed.

R&D happens at a faster rate when there is competition and/or demand for higher quality product.

Since govt has a monopoly on legalized weed, why would they want to spend money on R&D when the current product seems to be good enough?
Esp. considering that weed is supposedly illegal.
That'd look good on papers. "Govt spends public funds for better weed" "Stoners to get more high with govt help"

quote:

Originally posted by rabbitjoker 2 main reasons for higher prices from gov't vs. street prices: 1) Discourage resale Nobody buying medicinal product is going to resell it if they pay more than street value. 2) Encourage higher quality product More money spent in growing product equals higher quality product.

The pot sold by the government is substantially cheaper than street prices. So # 1 does not really apply to this situation.

The problem is, that a lot of users have stated that sometimes they need to go to the street to find pot, because the government grown stuff is just not strong enough.

link

lol@ article. Maybe pot users should pay their bills, rather than complain about the quality. This does make them look very good.

quote:

Originally posted by rabbitjoker The government spends a significant amount of money on the development of a standardized product. Not to mention the research, the facilities to grow, the security at the facilities, etc.

I don't doubt that, but none of that leads to a higher quality product.

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Originally posted by rabbitjoker 2) Encourage higher quality product More money spent in growing product equals higher quality product.

did you not read the portion of the article where the recipients of the product complained about the quality?

as for research....so they sub-contract it out and than pay for the sub-contractors research cost?

IT'S A CASHGRAB!!! jesus....duhhhheeeeeee

quote:

Originally posted by rabbitjoker The government spends a significant amount of money on the development of a standardized product. Not to mention the research, the facilities to grow, the security at the facilities, etc.

THEY SUBCONTRACT IT OUT! ARE YOU BLIND? DID YOU NOT READ THE ARTICLE? CAN YOU SEE THE FOREST FOR THE TREES?

honestly rj, come on.....wake up.

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Originally posted by slingshot did you not read the portion of the article where the recipients of the product complained about the quality?

Improved quality comes via investment. Investment can only be made if profits exist.

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Originally posted by slingshot THEY SUBCONTRACT IT OUT!

You don't get the point.

It doesn't matter who is growing it - there is still significant investment required in bringing any new therapy to market.

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Originally posted by rabbitjoker Improved quality comes via investment. Investment can only be made if profits exist.

It's marijauna, not capital goods. Limited, if any investment is needed to improve quality of pot. This is not stem cell research.

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Originally posted by slingshot It's marijauna, not capital goods. Limited, if any investment is needed to improve quality of pot. Like, this isn't stem cell research here.

Various strains of the plant have varied prices (even at the street level).

Many factors come into play determining quality: grow conditions, strain variety, processing, etc, etc.

Even the users comment on the varied effects from different batches, purchases.

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Originally posted by rabbitjoker Various strains of the plant have varied prices (even at the street level).

And the variance in these prices is so significant that it warrants a mark up 1500%? The variance in prices of seeds for different strains of pot is minimal at best. It is nothing even close to warranting a markup of 20%, let alone 1500%. Nor is the research required to improve growing conditions, research, all that garbage that you mentioned costly enough to warrant a mark-up so high. The fact that you fail to see this is down right disturbing.

I'm curious to see LittlePoonzgirl weigh in here, and see if she supports RJ or Burner's take on the matter.

Shes my pot guru

quote:

Originally posted by slingshot disturbing.

Bwahaha. Go smoke a joint and chill out...

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