Despite criticisms from a former-LP applicant regarding the “unregulated” supply in dispensaries, Mark Hauk of the Saskatoon dispensary, Saskatchewan Compassion Club, says his product is grown safely and responsibly. The compassion club uses Canna Group Inc., which tests the product, provides training, education, and consulting services.
However Hauk wouldn’t say where his product came from.
“It’s strictly from a security standpoint,” he said. “I’ve got to acquire product from another province on a very regular basis in large quantities, and it’s technically illegal to do.”
“There’s some very serious risk and security and safety concerns that I have around that, and I don’t necessarily want everyone to know, all the time, where exactly those places are and the roads they might be travelling.”
Fred Glawischnig, former head of the failed LP, Canadian Cannabis Solutions Inc., claimed the unregulated cannabis sold by the compassion club could be harmful to the people who use it.
“What is sold in a dispensary – even though it says ‘medical marijuana dispensary’ – is not in the same category as medical marijuana under the licensed producer program,” Glawischnig said. “If we were to test them side-by-side, they would not stand up. They would be classified as unstable and many of them would be considered poisonous.”
In a three-page letter, Glawischnig wrote that the federal program is working, and wanted a “sober discussion” about whether dispensaries should be allowed to operate in the city.
Saskatoon police said the Saskatchewan Compassion Club is under investigation, but noted it’s not a usual investigation.
“Right now, a business like this one offering to dispense medical marijuana is something that is new territory for us, so it falls outside of your typical drug investigation,” police spokeswoman Alyson Edwards said.
“We want to make sure we are investigating properly and that we are going to take the proper steps if we need to in responding.”