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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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CN AB: Medical Marijuana Activist To Be Denied Drug In Jail
ccguide Saturday 27 Jan 2001 Pubdate: Tue, 23 Jan 2001 Source: Globe and Mail (Canada) Copyright: 2001, The Globe and Mail Company Contact: Website: http://www.globeandmail.ca/ Forum: http://forums.theglobeandmail.com/ Author: Dawn Walton MEDICAL MARIJUANA ACTIVIST TO BE DENIED DRUG IN JAIL CALGARY -- An Alberta medicinal marijuana crusader turned himself in to police yesterday saying he preferred to spend time in jail rather than pay fines related to possession of the drug, but he wasn't allowed to take his bag of pot into custody. Grant Krieger, 46, who showed up at a Calgary police station with three ounces of home-grown marijuana and a court ruling that allows him to possess it, said ingesting cannabis helps ease the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Mr. Krieger has maintained that a December Court of Queen's Bench ruling that gives him the right to cultivate marijuana for his own purposes should also apply while he serves jail time in lieu of paying a $500 fine for breaching probation orders. Although people have offered to pay the fine for Mr. Krieger, who doesn't have the money to cover it himself, he would rather draw attention to the cause, his lawyer, Adriano Iovinelli, said. "While courts are recognizing marijuana as a legitimate prescription drug, unfortunately because the government is not producing it and having it available for people under prescription, you go without if you go to the remand centre," Mr. Iovinelli said. In December, Madam Justice Darlene Acton said that although existing legislation allows exemptions from the drug law for those who can prove medical necessity, there has been no legal source of cannabis in the country. Judge Acton called the predicament an "absurdity" and said she was "troubled" that the Canadian government had not made a legal source of cannabis available to those who require it. Late last year, Ottawa gave a contract to a Saskatchewan company to produce marijuana for medical purposes. The federal government has said it will appeal Judge Acton's ruling. Last summer, the Ontario Court of Appeal struck down the federal criminal law banning marijuana after it was argued that the legislation failed to permit medical use. "Mr. Krieger may have a court order that allows him to cultivate and possess marijuana outside of jail, but we have our considerations too," said Justice Department spokesman Bart Johnson, referring to safety concerns and rules against contraband. Doctors will monitor Mr. Krieger's health while he is in jail, and he will be get conventional medication if needed, Mr. Johnson said. "His pot has been taken by the police with the understanding that it will be released to him once he's finished doing his time," Mr. Iovinelli said. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth
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