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Canada: Some fear medical marijuana crackdown coming

CTV.ca

Monday 03 Apr 2006

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A lawyer fears stepped-up prosecution of medical marijuana users now
that the Conservative government has signaled it won't pass a Liberal
law decriminalizing the possession of small quantities of pot.

Brian Fitzpatrick, a medical marijuana user in Ajax, Ont., thinks a
crackdown may already be in progress, based on his experience.

Fitzpatrick suffers from epilepsy and smokes pot anywhere from 12 to 30
times per day to ward off seizures.

"A little bit is guaranteed in my books to stop (them)," he told CTV News.

While he's also prescribed medications by his doctor, Fitzpatrick said
the side effects are hard to take.

Last week, he felt a seizure coming on and called an ambulance. When
the paramedics saw his pot, they called police.

The cops charged Fitzpatrick with possession for the purpose of
trafficking. He says he's never sold pot in his life.

"Medical marijuana is legal in this country," Fitzpatrick declared.

Activists plan a demonstration for the grounds of Ontario's legislature
next month. Some hoped the gathering would celebrate a new, more relaxed
marijuana possession law passed by a federal Liberal government.

However, that bill died when the last Parliament did, and Prime Minister
Stephen Harper has been explicit on how he feels about it.

"We will not be reintroducing the Liberal government's marijuana
decriminalization legislation," Harper said Monday.

As a result, expect more cases like Fitzpatrick's, says lawyer Joseph
Neubeger.

"They are going to get charged and they are going to be in possession of
more than 30 grams. They will have several, maybe a week's worth or two
week's worth of marijuana, and they are going to get charged," he said.

Fitzpatrick offered this opinion: "Now we got Harper in there and it
seems like the police officers in my region are being so kind."

With a report from CTV's Scott Laurie

 

 

 

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