Pubdate: Tue, 26 Apr 2005
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2005 The Ottawa Citizen
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Paula McCooey
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada)

LICENSED MARIJUANA USER BUSTED FOR GROW-OP

Woman Says Permit To Produce Own Plants Had Not Arrived In Mail

A wheelchair-bound licensed medical marijuana user has been charged for 
growing 10 marijuana plants in her Kemptville home.

Margaret Harrington, 51, said she had applied for a grower's licence -- of 
which there are 474 issued to Canadians under Health Canada's Marijuana 
Medical Access Regulations -- because she could not find a licensed 
cultivator to meets her needs.

But that permit had not yet arrived in the mail by the time the Ontario 
Provincial Police came to her house Friday to speak to her about another 
matter. When an officer picked up the fresh scent of marijuana wafting from 
her basement, she showed her Health Canada card allowing her to possess 
marijuana, and led the officer to the basement.

When Ms. Harrington couldn't produce the second grower's permit that allows 
her to grow up to 25 plants, the officers confiscated the plants and 
lights. She was charged with "unlawfully produced substance" and will 
appear in court May 4.

OPP Const. Cathy Lindsey said a medical marijuana patient must show 
officers two pieces of photo identification issued by Health Canada if they 
intend to grow marijuana in addition to possessing it. Const. Lindsey 
acknowledged that Ms. Harrington told the officer she was waiting for the 
permit allowing her to grow the marijuana to arrive.

Const. Lindsey also said she is not aware of any cases where plants have 
been seized when a licensed grower produces a permit.

Ms. Harrington says government-issued marijuana is substandard. "I could 
buy on the black market, but that is illegal as well as expensive.

"The only thing left to do is grow my own. I don't know what to say, just 
that they (the police and government) are not for the people."

Ms. Harrington can walk only short distances and endures constant pain 
because of past accidents, surgeries, and ailments like fibromyalgia, which 
causes severe pain in the muscles, ligaments, and tendons.
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