Last week, both Tweed and Mettrum had loads of marijuana seized from the same Kelowna airport. Media reports described Tweed’s shipment as 55 varieties of “plants, seeds and in-production plant materials” from multiple growers across BC.
Licensed Producers are desperate for product, since Health Canada has been so slow in processing their applications that most of them haven’t had time to grow any of their own cannabis.
So instead of buying seeds and cuttings as a genetic base, as the rules intended, they’ve been buying mature plants, ready to harvest. This way they can clip the buds, dry them and then flip them to patients. Some have been going further, buying freshly cut buds for resale. This is the so-called “in production plant materials” they’re referring to.
What this means is that companies who have been advertising their high-quality production and inspection methods, are apparently now reselling pot grown in basements.
The seized marijuana all came from Designated Growers who were licensed to grow for up to two patients each under the old system. These are the same home gardens which Health Canada ordered to be shut down, claiming that they are all mold-ridden, unsafe and unhealthy. Yet at the same time, it’s allowed for these growers to sell their product to the newly Licensed Producers, who can then flip it to patients at a profit? How does any of this make sense?
For Tweed and Mettrum, this police action almost certainly means their shipments are lost forever. Even if they get it back from the cops at some point, any plants and undried buds will be ruined after a week in police custody. Not even the recommended gamma irradiation will fix that!
By Dana Larsen
Read the full story at vancouversun.com
