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BC medical bud recalled

A BC producer of medical marijuana has voluntarily recalled a batch of its "purple kush" strain and is advising consumers not to smoke the weed, following a Health Canada inspection of the grower's operations.

Greenleaf Medicinals in Nanaimo is advising clients to immediately stop using any marijuana from batch number PK-10-20-13, Health Canada said in an advisory.

"The recall is due to issues with the company’s production practices, which were identified during an inspection by Health Canada and may impact the product," the federal department said.

Health Canada did not disclose the problems with Greenleaf's production nor what adverse effects might occur from smoking or ingesting the recalled pot.

Greenleaf could not be reached for comment Tuesday, its website appears to have been taken down and the company's name does not appear on Health Canada's online list of authorized growers of medical marijuana.

However, Health Canada said in its advisory that the company had said it was working with other licensed producers to find a supply of purple kush for its clients. Purple kush is considered a potent strain of cannabis, with a high concentration of the psychoactive ingredient THC.

About a dozen producers have been licensed by Health Canada to sell various strains of medicinal marijuana after the federal government revamped regulations governing access to the drug.

As of April 1, federal authorization to possess medicinal pot for patients with chronic pain, multiple sclerosis and a variety of other ailments shifted from Health Canada to physicians.

Under the new program, doctors can provide a prescription that allows patients with symptoms that may be helped by medical pot to purchase up to 150 grams of dried weed each month from a licensed commercial grower.

Producers are subject to compliance and enforcement measures similar to those that regulate producers of other controlled substances. Licensed medical marijuana growers must meet strict security, control and reporting requirements, and are regularly inspected.

"Dried marijuana is not an approved drug or medicine in Canada. Possession and use of marijuana remains illegal unless authorized under regulations with the support of a doctor or nurse practitioner," Health Canada said.



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