Issue 16.pdf - Treating Yourself

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Bedrocan
By Harry Resin
Generally when you
think of Amsterdam,
you think of
the coffee shops, but
that’s not all that’s going
on. This article is part one
of a two part series intended
to shine some light on the
Dutch Medical Marijuana industry.
In Holland, the medicinal cannabis
sold by Dutch pharmacies is manufactured
by a company called
Bedrocan, with sale and distribution
managed by the Office for
Medical Cannabis (BMC). Since
2006, the Groningen-based Bedrocan
Bv has produced all of the marijuana
sold in the Dutch pharmacies.
The founders of Bedrocan have
always been farmers, growing
endives throughout the ’80s. They
entered the cannabis industry in
the early ’90s by making seeds for
the Sensi Seed bank, which they
did until the Dutch government
made seed production illegal in
1998. In 2000, they decided to
begin the process of applying for a
license to legally grow medicinal
cannabis, as at this time there was
a lot of talk about starting a program
in the Netherlands. In 2002,
they were offered the first test
grow and delivered their samples
in early 2003. That same year,
SIMM (Stichting Institute Medical
Marijuana), a company started by
James Burton and Bedrocan,
became the first two legal producers
of cannabis in the Netherlands.
Both companies began having
problems in 2005 when the government
couldn’t initially handle
the quantities these companies
were producing, creating an overflow
that led to severe financial
issues. As of 2006, Bedrocan was
the sole producer of medicinal
cannabis in Holland.
Currently, the medical cannabis
sold by the drugstores and manufactured
by Bedrocan retails for?
9,03 a gram. It is sold in a little plastic
container by 5-gram increments.
Both the bud and the container can
be seen in the photos. One major
issue regarding the cost is that
Dutch insurance companies won’t
reimburse their clients for their
medicinal cannabis. All this is in
contrast to the cannabis available
from the coffee-shops, normally
sold for around? 6,50 to? 7 at the
cheapest end of the scale—usually
a PP grown commercially and
often not flushed very well. On the
other hand, for good herb grown
organically in soil, you will pay
around? 10–? 12. As a medical user,
you are currently limited to those
two choices: the coffee-shop, or the
Dutch medicinal weed from Bedrocan.
However there was an important
ruling made in September 2008 by
a Dutch court that gave permission
to a MS patient to grow his own
cannabis, who argued that he didn’t
want to smoke irradiated weed
and it was cheaper for him to produce
it himself. At ?9 a gram, without
compensation from an insurance
company, costs can add up if
your condition requires a more
chronic dose.
SOCIETY
The question
remains
which model is
more effective,
one in which
patients or care
givers are able to grow
their own plants or a system that
sees the government provide
patients with their medicine, which
is thoroughly controlled and monitored.
From my own experience, I
can only say that usually the
patients or care givers who grow
do so in a way that best suits what
they are looking for in their medicine.
It gives them the freedom to
choose soil over hydroponics,
organic food and pest control, certain
curing and drying techniques,
and, most important, strain selection.
All of this adds to both the
quality and effects of the medicine.
For me, given the personal choice,
I would pick the veggies from the
organic farmer rather than the
Monsanto-style genetically modified
produce.
Bedrocan currently offers three
strains of cannabis, all of which are
available from a Dutch pharmacy
with a doctor’s prescription. The
strains are: Bedrocan, which is an
old Jack Herrer phenotype measured
at 18 per cent THC; Bedrobinol,
a cross between the Jack used
in the Bedrocan strain and an
Afghan strain measured at 12 per
cent THC, and Bediol, the parentage
of which is a closely-guarded
secret. It measures 6 per cent THC
and 7 per cent CBD. Bediol is also
the only sort that is sold in a granular,
pre-ground powder—all other
strains come in bud form.
These are grown using small 3.5
litre pots on a drip system. I found
Treating Yourself, Issue 16 - 2009 - 15