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Canada: Ottawa Making Medical Pot 'Almost Impossible'

Daryl Slade

National Post

Thursday 06 Jul 2006

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Too Many Hurdles, Lawyer Tells Court

CALGARY - The government provides a legal method for a person to grow
and possess marijuana for personal medical reasons, but makes it "almost
impossible" to do so, a lawyer argued yesterday.

John Hooker, counsel for longtime Calgary pot crusader Grant Krieger,
told provincial court Justice William Pepler the medical marijuana issue
is similar to the abortion issue, in which the government permits women
to legally have abortions, then puts many hurdles in place.

"Very few doctors will sign certificates for persons to be allowed to
possess and use marijuana," Mr. Hooker said. "So it is unfair to convict
people in such a case as this."

Mr. Krieger, 52, is asking the judge to stay two counts of trafficking
in marijuana. The charges stem from packages destined for ill fellow
users in Manitoba but intercepted by courier companies on Dec. 23, 2003,
and Jan. 8, 2004.

Mr. Krieger admitted he is supplying more than 400 people in at least
three provinces, all of whom cannot get doctor-backed exemptions and
have no legal source of the drug.

Crown prosecutor Scott Couper said having physicians participate in the
application process is appropriate, given that marijuana is largely an
unproven drug in medical use and is controlled.

"Doctors know the patient and the process," Mr. Couper said.

Mr. Krieger, who has progressive multiple sclerosis, said he is
distributing marijuana only to others in need of alleviating chronic
pain and suffering from AIDS, HIV, cancer, MS and other crippling illnesses.

He has never applied for an exemption under the Marijuana Medical Access
Regulations to grow and possess marijuana for his own use, but was given
a one-year judicial exemption following a court case in 2000. It was
later made indefinite by the Alberta Court of Appeal.

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/index.html

 

 

 

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