cannabisnews.com: Crown Appeals Acquittal of Marijuana Crusader





Crown Appeals Acquittal of Marijuana Crusader
Posted by FoM on July 19, 2001 at 17:04:48 PT
The Canadian Press
Source: Ottawa Citizen
The Crown has decided to appeal an Alberta court ruling that said marijuana crusader Grant Krieger was justified in breaking the law by selling pot to chronically ill people. Krieger said Thursday the appeal documents indicate the Crown will argue the trial judge erred in law when he instructed the jury that the defence of necessity could be justified. Krieger, 46, has multiple sclerosis and has been fighting for more than five years to have the drug legalized for medical purposes. 
The jury acquitted him last month on a charge of possession for the purpose of trafficking, accepting the defence argument that he was saving lives when he supplied marijuana to the sick. Krieger said he's prepared to take his fight all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary. "I'm saying it is a necessity," he said. "I deal with people who have attempted suicide in the past and who will attempt it in the future. You can't turn your back on people like that. The trafficking laws need to be addressed." During the trial, Krieger readily admitted growing 29 pot plants in his home in August 1999. He said the crop was designed to help the chronically ill - who came to his Universal Compassion Club - ease their pain and suffering. Crown prosecutor Scott Couper had argued that despite Krieger's motivation, he didn't meet the strict legal test of necessity. The June ruling has been cited by advocates of medicinal marijuana as proof that society's attitudes toward the drug are changing. In April, the federal government announced that people suffering from severe forms of arthritis will be given the right to possess and smoke marijuana legally if they can prove they can't be treated with other drugs to alleviate relentless pain. The regulations also allow terminal patients, and people with AIDS, multiple sclerosis, spinal-cord injuries, epilepsy and other serious conditions to use the drug if it eases their symptoms. The measures also allow the government to license third parties to grow marijuana for individual sufferers who can't grow it for themselves. The new rules create three categories of people who can possess the drug: those with terminal illnesses with a prognosis of death within one year, those with symptoms associated with serious medical conditions, and those suffering from symptoms with other medical conditions. For those who will be allowed to produce the drug, the rules will set maximums for the number of indoor and outdoor plants to be grown, authorize a grower to receive and possess seeds and allow for site inspections and criminal-record checks of designated growers. In December, Ottawa awarded Prairie Plant Systems Inc. of Saskatoon a contract to grow marijuana in Manitoba for Health Canada for research purposes. The first crop is expected to available later this year. Complete Title: Crown Appeals Acquittal of Medicinal Marijuana Crusader Grant Krieger in AlbertaSource: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)Published: Thursday, July 19, 2001 Copyright: 2001 The Ottawa CitizenContact: letters thecitizen.southam.ca Website: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Prairie Plant Systemshttp://www.prairieplant.com/ Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmCalgary Jury Rules Marijuana Crusader Justified http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10116.shtmlCanadians Lean Toward Easing Marijuana Lawshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10076.shtml
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