HTTP/1.0 200 OK Content-Type: text/html Klein's Former Son-in-law Arrested 
Pubdate: Sun, 03 Sep 2000
Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB)
Copyright: 2000 Calgary Herald
Contact:  P.O. Box 2400, Stn. M, Calgary, Alberta T2P 0W8
Fax: (403) 235-7379
Website: http://www.calgaryherald.com/
Forum: http://forums.canada.com/~calgary
Author: Eva Ferguson
Cited: Universal Compassion Centre:  http://www.drugsense.org/ucc

KLEIN'S FORMER SON-IN-LAW ARRESTED

Ralph Klein's 33-year old daughter has spent the past two days on an 
emotional roller coaster after her ex-husband escaped from prison on 
Friday, but was apprehended a day later by RCMP.

"I was sick to my stomach all day," Angie Klein said in Calgary Saturday.

Klein, who works as a florist in Drumheller, was in Calgary Saturday for a 
hemp festival and fund-raiser, bringing together Calgarians in favour of 
legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes.

Klein's band, The Mouse Roars, performed at the festival with Klein as lead 
vocalist.

"I firmly believe in this cause," Klein said, "If there is something out 
there that is natural and can help people with pain, I'm all for it."

Dave Faren of the Universal Compassion Centre said the group hopes to raise 
enough money to build a warehouse that would sell cannabis, which is 
obtained from the hemp plant, for pain relief within one year.

"It's so important to increase awareness about this issue. We need more 
support," Faren said on Saturday.

"I know so many people that have benefited from the use of cannabis as a 
pain reliever, with better results than other medicines and so many fewer 
side effects."

Last month, an Ottawa judge struck down the federal government's 
anti-possession law for ill Canadians who smoke pot to ease pain - a ruling 
that moves closer to marijuana legalization.

The Ontario Court of Appeal declared the law violates the rights of sick 
people by forcing them to choose between "health and imprisonment" and 
ordered the government to rewrite its legislation within a year.

Faren hopes by the time his group is ready to build a compassion centre, 
marijuana may in fact be legal for medicinal use.

Saturday's festival event was expected to raise about $1,000.

Several business groups were also at the event, including the Hemporium, 
Sweetleaf Hemp Co. and Willy's Hempire.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Richard Lake