Pubdate: Tue, 14 Sep 1999
Date: 09/14/1999
Source: Edmonton Sun (Canada)
Author: Stephen John Vandekemp
Comment: Parenthetical remark by the Sun editor; headline by newshawk

RE: CHIEF LINDSAY in favour of medicinal pot. The trouble with
medicinal pot is the police have been playing doctor at the patients'
expense. It's hard enough fighting a chronic, debilitating disease
that can be lethal - try fighting the legal system at the same time.

Surely to God changes to rectify this situation in Canada will happen
sooner than later. In the meantime, the men and ladies performing
their duties as police across Canada should stand back and ponder the
pain and increased symptoms of illness and family, social and economic
disruption their actions cause in upholding an incompassionate and
unjust law.

I don't understand how they could be pleased when they go home at
night after taking someone's medicine away, allowing us to suffer
without our medication whilst we battle the courts - for over a year,
as in my case - at great expense.

Remember, sick people like myself don't use pot to break the law. We
use it to alleviate the symptoms of our illness. In most cases because
nothing else works as efficiently. We in no way wish to break any
Canadian laws. We only want our health to improve and the legal
bashing to stop! Someone please help us!

Stephen John VandeKemp

(Will hospital patients have to smoke marijuana outside with the rest
of the smokers?)