cannabisnews.com: Prisoner Loses Bid for Marijuana Prisoner Loses Bid for Marijuana Posted by CN Staff on August 12, 2003 at 06:57:01 PT By Tom Blackwell, National Post Source: National Post Canada is just not ready to let prison inmates indulge their marijuana habits behind bars, a Federal Court judge has concluded in quashing a convict's demand for regular supplies of pot-laced baked goods.Michael Patriquen, a marijuana-rights activist who ran in the recent Nova Scotia election, wants the drug to treat chronic pain. He won a federal government medical marijuana exemption before being sentenced. But in a recent decision, Justice Pierre Blais refused to issue an injunction forcing Springhill Penitentiary in Moncton, N.B., to supply the pot cookies."I doubt that we are ready to allow inmates to cultivate marijuana in their cells," the judge said."The evidence ... suggests that allowing marijuana into the institution for distribution to inmates would pose an unreasonable risk to the safety of staff members, inmates and visitors, as well as to the overall security of the institution."Judge Blais also cited a doctor's testimony suggesting Patriquen's condition is not as serious as he lets on.The case stems from the Correctional Service of Canada's (CSC) refusal of Patriquen's request for regular doses of marijuana. He challenged the edict to the Federal Court, partly on the grounds that it violated his constitutional rights, then asked for the injunction while the case is considered. Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.nationalpost.com/national/story.html?id=ECD668F9-5128-48D9-86AD-8EA0FE3597E6Source: National Post (Canada)Author: Tom Blackwell, National Post Published: Tuesday, August 12, 2003Copyright: 2003 National Post Contact letters nationalpost.comWebsite: http://www.nationalpost.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Marijuana Party of Canadahttp://www.marijuanaparty.com/Lawyer To Seek Injunction For Man To Use Pothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16479.shtmlPot Activist Wants His Marijuana in Prisonhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16213.shtmlLocked Away in Pain http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16058.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #8 posted by lilgrasshoppah77 on August 13, 2003 at 10:39:03 PT: I pity these demons Their callous disregard for a fellow human's suffering must not hold them in good stead with the Lord....It makes me weep. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Rev Jonathan Adler on August 12, 2003 at 17:39:46 PT: Using Pot In Jail! Just for your information out there, I just did a six month jail term in Hawaii at a Public Safety Facility for allegedly being guilty of marijuana use and cultivation, even though I proved I was a legal cardholding medical user and a legally protected church also. I had a State Public Safety Narcotics License to use marijuana and they still refused all requests I made to legally obtain my prescribed medicine. They fabricated worse and similar reasons to deny me my rightful access to cannabis for 180 days and made darn sure I was in pain and suffered insomnia and asthma without my medicine, which they had already given me back an ounce by court order one month before they threw me in the slam. Don't give up your rights, whether it be in Canada or here in the good old USA. How can you be guilty of being legal? Go figga! Rev. Jon Adler / At peace with myself. Hawaii Medical Marijuana Institute [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by afterburner on August 12, 2003 at 14:36:09 PT: Now Judges Are Doctors, Too! Dr. Lévesque's report suggests Patriquen is "not in as bad a medical condition as he pretends," the judge said."Mr. Patriquen is trying to convince this court that using marijuana is the panacea that would resolve his problems," said the ruling."If that were the case, those problems would have been resolved a long time ago."Is daily insulin a "panacea" for diabetes, so that "those problems would have been resolved a long time ago"?Is daily aspirin a "panacea" for stroke, so that "those problems would have been resolved a long time ago"?Is chemotheraphy a "panacea" for cancer, so that "those problems would have been resolved a long time ago"?ego transcendence follows ego destruction, but even judges can rule on legal technicalities and fail to use compassion, the prisoner has a medical marijuana exemption! who do the prison doctors and Correctional Service of Canada think they are to second guess Health Canada? [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Sam Adams on August 12, 2003 at 13:34:51 PT habits? Indulging their marijuana "habits"? I'd like to see this little SOB reporter do his job for 1 day, ONE day, in chronic pain. Are diabetics "indulging" in the insulin that keeps them alive? If my spoiled and arrogant fellow Americans think the human race can function without compassion, they're in for a rude awakening. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Truth on August 12, 2003 at 12:20:02 PT yes Bud That is the truth. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by BGreen on August 12, 2003 at 11:48:46 PT The Truth Is There is plenty of cannabis and every other "illegal drug" being smuggled into the prisons by corrupt prison guards EVERYDAY. They just want to garner black market profits by controlling the supply.The Rev. Bud Green [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by aolbites on August 12, 2003 at 10:40:21 PT absurd "I doubt that we are ready to allow inmates to cultivate marijuana in their cells," the judge said."Thats why health Canada is mailing out baggies right?whats the deal?--------------------------------------------------------Under the interim policy, announced July 9, the 582 Canadian patients who have met requirements of the Marihuana Medical Access Regulations (MMAR) will be allowed to buy 30 marijuana seeds for $20, and then grow them for medical purposes.They will also be able to buy dried marijuana for $5 per gram, or about $140 an ounce. (Black-market marijuana costs $300 to $750 an ounce, according to the RCMP.) Health Canada currently has 370 kg of marijuana with a THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) content of 10% ready for distribution. Physician approval is required before patients can receive it.--------------------------------------------------------------so if a SINGLE MMAR holder can't get access, then the law is invalid right? =P just like we have been saying since july '01 [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by afterburner on August 12, 2003 at 08:55:01 PT: How Absurd! "The evidence ... suggests that allowing marijuana into the institution for distribution to inmates would pose an unreasonable risk to the safety of staff members, inmates and visitors, as well as to the overall security of the institution," [said] Judge Blais. Marijuana will threaten the safety of those big, strong prison guards, the peaceful herb will threaten the safety of inmates and visitors? Since no one has yet found a way to send cannabis cookies through a visitor phone, what is all the fuss about? Is some mafia or biker gang going to break-in to the prison and eat the cookies? Get real!ego transcendence follows ego destruction, denial of medical treatment is a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and of Article 25.1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights [which] affirms: "Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services". --United Nations Human Rights Website - Treaty Bodies Database - Document - General Comments - http://www.lawsite.ca/IAWJ/Healthcomment14.htmIt says everyone, Not everyone not in prison! [ Post Comment ] Post Comment