Health Canada has worked out a five-year plan for medical use of nearly one million marijuana cigarettes. A licensed Canadian supplier is required to "be a university graduate in an area such as pharmacology and of good character," the report said.

Health Canada will supply the seeds to the official dope dealer, who is expected to produce 100,000 marijuana cigarettes in the first year of the project and an annual 200,000 from the second to the fifth year. The health department "will contribute up to 1.5 million Canadian dollars (about 1 million U.S. dollars) per year for investment in clinical, basic and applied research on marijuana and cannabinoids," the report said.

It will also finalize the 28-page Statement of Work for the Development of a Comprehensive Operation for the Cultivation and Fabrication of Marijuana in Canada. However, a spokeswoman for the organization said that Health Canada "is looking at options to provide a safe supply" of marijuana.

(Source: AP of 14 December 1999)