Pubdate: Wed, 03 Aug 2005 Source: Daily Observer, The (CN ON) Copyright: 2005, Osprey Media Group Inc. Contact: http://www.thedailyobserver.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2615 Author: Anthony Dixon Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada) LOCAL POT ACTIVIST FACES CHARGE WILNO -- The Killaloe Rastaman, AKA Rick Reimer, believes a lack of police understanding led to his arrest early Sunday morning at the Atlantic Hemp Fest in Nova Scotia. The marijuana activist was charged with being intoxicated in a public place and held overnight in a holding cell in Kingston, Nova Scotia, a situation Mr. Reimer believes could have been avoided if police better understood the rights of those granted the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. "This just makes it so obvious that the police have taken an ostrich attitude about medical marijuana (and stuck their heads in the sand)," Mr. Reimer said from his home outside of Wilno on Tuesday. "Maybe they don't like it, but they are going to have to accept that it's a part of society and therefore taxpayers and the government have taken a different attitude but it's like the police have said, 'we're not going to learn about this.'" Mr. Reimer, a lawyer, intends to plead not guilty to the charge. The second annual Atlantic Hemp Fest was sponsored by Maritimes United for Medical Marijuana and held in Lawrencetown, Annapolis County. A guest speaker at the event, Mr. Reimer said Hemp Fest seeks to raise public awareness about the medical use of marijuana. He conceded that such events also attract recreational pot smokers. Mr. Reimer has a medical exemption to use marijuana to ease symptoms of his multiple sclerosis. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth