[420 Girl]

The federal department is inviting firms from across the country to submit bids on a contract to cultivate and distribute medical marijuana for the next seven years, with options for two one-year extensions.

The work is now being done by Prairie Plant Systems Inc. in Flin Flon, Man.

Since marijuana is a controlled substance, "any party who requests a copy of the Statement of Work must have the required security designations, as specified in the bid solicitation. The party must also sign a non-disclosure agreement," said media spokesman Phillippe Laroche.

Tenders are being accepted until Sept. 15, he said. The federal government has been a reluctant seller of marijuana since a series of court rulings forced it into the pot-selling business.

A Price Waterhouse Coopers survey in 2002 found that about four per cent of the Canadian population uses cannabis medically, or about 1.2 million people.

According to Health Canada figures, more than 2,400 people are currently licensed to use medical marijuana in Canada, 214 of them in Alberta.

But fewer than 20 per cent buy it from the government's supplier. Some patients say the quality is poor and others say only one strain of the plant is offered -- different strains have unique therapeutic effects.

Patients authorized to legally possess medical marijuana have three options for acquiring it. They can grow it themselves from seeds provided by Health Canada, designate someone else to grow it for them or order dried marijuana from the department.


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