Letter to Health Canada by Licencees Requesting Refund
The Honourable Tony Clement
Minister's Office - Health Canada
Brooke Claxton Building, Tunney's Pasture
Postal Locator: 0906C
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0K9
To Minister of Health Tony Clement, Deputy Minister Morris Rosenberg, Valerie Lasher, Beth Pieterson and the OCMA,
In light of evidence that the cannabis produced by Prairie Plant Systems and supplied by Health Canada to legal exemptees is unsatisfactory and originally much lower in THC than was either claimed by Health Canada or indicated on the packaging supplied by PPS, I request that my outstanding debt from ordering this product be annulled, and that moneys paid so far be refunded in full.
On April 13th, 2004 Canadians for Safe Access (Canada's largest medicinal cannabis patients rights organization) received information from Health Canada indicating that out of the 93 people who had ordered cannabis from the government, 29 had physically returned it due to dissatisfaction with the product, yet Health Canada never made this information public, choosing instead to continue sending out this inadequate product to patients registered with the OCMA.
On May 25th and June 11th, CSA received the results of two separate THC tests conducted by the Quebec Institute of Public Health Toxicology laboratory on the Health Canada cannabis indicating that although it is labeled 10.2% THC, it was really well below 6% THC. (5.0 and 5.04% THC to be exact; see test results online at: http://safeaccess.ca/pr/quelabresults.htm).
Additional documents obtained through an ATI request show that in Health Canada's most intensive THC testing of this product - involving over 20 tests from 3 different federally licensed labs - the same product never tested above 7.2%THC.
In light of this evidence, Health Canada must show integrity and compassion to the patients enrolled in this program by refunding all moneys paid for this inadequate cannabis product, and should immediately forgive any debt accrued from those who have ordered it under these circumstances.
In my case, that would amount to a refund of $ , and debt forgiveness of $ .
The Office of Cannabis Medical Access has a long history of ignoring the concerns and complaints of the end users of this federal program; critically and chronically ill Canadians expect and deserve so much better from Health Canada. This small financial retribution for the few Canadians who have trusted the government to supply a safe and standardized source of cannabis may forge the beginning of new policy of cooperation and compassion between medicinal cannabis users and the federal government.
Thank you for your time in this important health matter.
Sincerely,
Signature: ______________________________________________
Print name: ______________________________________________
Date: ______________________________________________
SEND YOUR LETTER TO:
The Honourable Tony Clement
Minister's Office - Health Canada
Brooke Claxton Building, Tunney's Pasture
Postal Locator: 0906C
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0K9
