Pubdate: Wed, 28 Mar 2007
Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB)
Copyright: 2007 Calgary Herald
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/calgary/calgaryherald/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66
Author: Daryl Slade, Calgary Herald
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada)

POT ADVOCATE MUST GET DRUG IN JAIL

A judge says he had no choice but to send medicinal marijuana 
crusader Grant Krieger to jail for drug trafficking, but he wants 
assurances corrections authorities will uphold Krieger's 
constitutional exemption to have the drug behind bars to alleviate 
pain for his multiple sclerosis.

Provincial court Judge William Pepler, in an unprecedented ruling, 
postponed Krieger's four-month incarceration until June 18 or until 
he receives an answer from corrections officials that they will make 
provisions to honour another judge's order of seven years ago to 
allow him access to marijuana.

"We'll come back and speak to it on June 18, only if the authorities 
have not made a provision for Mr. Krieger to receive marijuana in 
custody," said Pepler.

"We've given them plenty of time to deal with this."

Should corrections decide to take action sooner than the next court 
date, said the judge, Krieger has 48 hours to turn himself in and 
begin serving the sentence.

"I'm not planning to go to jail, because they have taken away my 
rights to be able to walk," said Krieger, noting he was previously 
incarcerated in 1999 and 2001 on similar drug charges and his health 
deteriorated so badly he was confined to a wheelchair.

"I'll go to jail, all right, but I'll be filing paperwork for unusual 
punishment."

Pepler convicted Krieger on two counts of drug trafficking after 
police seized two packages containing 801 grams of marijuana sent 
through his Grant Krieger Compassion Club to people in Manitoba for 
distribution to people with similar afflictions.

Crown prosecutor Scott Couper said the government has made marijuana 
available through the Medicinal Marijuana Access Regime.

He said there was a concern that by Krieger distributing the drug to 
400 members of his compassion club, there were no medical or other 
controls over who received it, if they truly needed it and if any of 
the drug got into criminal hands.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman