|
Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
|
|
CN BC: Judge Orders Discharge In Pot Case
ccguide Saturday 29 Jan 2000 Pubdate: Sat, 29 Jan 2000 Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC) Copyright: The Vancouver Sun 2000 Contact: Address: 200 Granville Street, Ste.#1, Vancouver BC V6C 3N3 Fax: (604) 605-2323 Website: http://www.vancouversun.com/ Author: Neal Hall, Sun Court Reporter Vancouver Sun Cited: The Compassion Club: http://thecompassionclub.org/ JUDGE ORDERS DISCHARGE IN POT CASE Judge J.B. Paradis notes the accused man had the drug for patients who use it through the Compassion Club. Saying people who use marijuana for medicinal purposes have to get the drug from somewhere, a judge has granted a conditional discharge to a man caught transporting pot to a Vancouver club that caters to such people. Marcus Richardson was busted in November 1998, when police found six kilograms of marijuana in his car and $6,000 cash, which the judge found was provided by the B.C. Compassion Club to buy marijuana for its members. Richardson was convicted in June of possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, but Judge J.B. Paradis noted in passing sentence this week that the Vancouver police department is aware of and tolerates the Compassion Club. While giving Richardson the conditional discharge and putting him on probation for six months, the judge also ordered that the $6,000 be returned to the club. The Compassion Club distributes small amounts of medicinal marijuana to 600 members who suffer from diseases ranging from AIDS and cancer to multiple sclerosis. The judge cited an article in the Journal of the Canadian Medical Association that quoted Vancouver police Constable Anne Drennan as saying that if the club abides by certain rules and regulations, "they are not a priority for us. We are very much aware of the organization and what is going on." Noting there is no pharmacy that sells pot, Paradis said in a 14-page judgment that if Health Canada has agreed to grant exemptions from drug laws to people who get medical benefits from the drug, those people have to get it elsewhere. "The pharmacy in this case, known to and tolerated by police, is the Canadian Compassion Club Society," he said. "Marijuana will not fall into its hands as manna from heaven. It must be obtained directly from growers, as is now the case, or through a middleman such as Mr. Richardson, as was the case in November 1998." The judge accepted evidence that Richardson kept the drugs at his home and took only small amounts to the offices of the Compassion Club because of a series of break-ins at its Commercial Drive area office, where drugs and money had been stolen. "I feel this decision is a really important milestone," Compassion Club founder Hilary Black said Friday. "He [the judge] recognized we are devoted to providing a service to people." She said it was unfortunate that police destroyed the pot by burning it or the Compassion Club would have made an application to have the drug returned as well. Black noted the court ruling "gives a lot of security to growers and other people we deal with. Health Canada has given exemptions to 20 people now in Canada, but there's no supply." Club members are given "prescriptions" by their doctors in the form of letters of recommendation indicating they could get relief from symptoms or pain by using marijuana. - --- MAP posted-by: Greg
After you have finished reading this article you can click here to go back.
|
This page was created by the Cannabis Campaigners' Guide.
Feel free to link to this page!