[420 Girl]

Organic growers from Vancouver Island hope to bag the new federal contract to grow and distribute medical marijuana across Canada with the promise of supplying better, cheaper and different varieties of weed.

Public Works Canada has extended the deadline for bids on the contract currently held by Prairie Plant Systems Inc., which operates a grow operation deep within a mine in northern Manitoba.

Companies that hope to win the contract say they are waiting for more information from Ottawa to complete their bids by the new Sept. 29 deadline.

Eric Nash, co-owner of Island Harvest in British Columbia, said he is eager to submit a proposal to supply high-grade strains of sativa and indica marijuana to registered users, some of whom have been unhappy with the quality of the government-approved pot from the mine.

"We want this contract because we know that we can supply a good-quality organic product to patients," said Nash, who has been legally supplying medicinal pot to a few registered users from his provincially inspected organic operation in the Cowichan Valley.

Brad Zettl, of Prairie Plant Systems said other bidders are free to pitch whatever they want to Ottawa, but the federal contract is very specific about what type of marijuana is to be produced. Health Canada sets the standards. Zettl said the emphasis is on producing one strain of marijuana of a consistent strength. Protecting the health of patients is paramount by ensuring that each gram of pot has low levels of microbes and other contaminants.

Some medical marijuana advocates would prefer if Ottawa got out of providing medicinal pot and allowed qualified people to cultivate plants for their own use or for sale through compassion clubs.

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