cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Activist to be Denied Drug in Jail





Marijuana Activist to be Denied Drug in Jail
Posted by FoM on January 23, 2001 at 08:13:21 PT
By Dawn Walton
Source: Globe and Mail
An Alberta medicinal marijuana crusader turned himself in to police yesterday saying he preferred to spend time in jail rather than pay fines related to possession of the drug, but he wasn't allowed to take his bag of pot into custody.Grant Krieger, 46, who showed up at a Calgary police station with three ounces of home-grown marijuana and a court ruling that allows him to possess it, said ingesting cannabis helps ease the symptoms of multiple sclerosis.
Mr. Krieger has maintained that a December Court of Queen's Bench ruling that gives him the right to cultivate marijuana for his own purposes should also apply while he serves jail time in lieu of paying a $500 fine for breaching probation orders.Although people have offered to pay the fine for Mr. Krieger, who doesn't have the money to cover it himself, he would rather draw attention to the cause, his lawyer, Adriano Iovinelli, said."While courts are recognizing marijuana as a legitimate prescription drug, unfortunately because the government is not producing it and having it available for people under prescription, you go without if you go to the remand centre," Mr. Iovinelli said.In December, Madam Justice Darlene Acton said that although existing legislation allows exemptions from the drug law for those who can prove medical necessity, there has been no legal source of cannabis in the country.Judge Acton called the predicament an "absurdity" and said she was "troubled" that the Canadian government had not made a legal source of cannabis available to those who require it. Late last year, Ottawa gave a contract to a Saskatchewan company to produce marijuana for medical purposes.The federal government has said it will appeal Judge Acton's ruling.Last summer, the Ontario Court of Appeal struck down the federal criminal law banning marijuana after it was argued that the legislation failed to permit medical use."Mr. Krieger may have a court order that allows him to cultivate and possess marijuana outside of jail, but we have our considerations too," said Justice Department spokesman Bart Johnson, referring to safety concerns and rules against contraband.Doctors will monitor Mr. Krieger's health while he is in jail, and he will be get conventional medication if needed, Mr. Johnson said."His pot has been taken by the police with the understanding that it will be released to him once he's finished doing his time," Mr. Iovinelli said.Source Globe and Mail (Canada) Author: Dawn WaltonPublished: Tuesday, January 23, 2001Copyright: 2001, The Globe and Mail Company Contact: letters globeandmail.ca Website: http://www.globeandmail.ca/ Forum: http://forums.theglobeandmail.com/ Related Articles & Web Sites:Cannabis Link Directoryhttp://drugsense.org/tcl/links.htmlMarijuana Activist Says He'll Take Crusade To Jailhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8401.shtmlA Pot-ty Decision!http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8274.shtmlActivist Can Grow Own Medicinal Pothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/7/thread7982.shtml 
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #3 posted by FoM on January 30, 2001 at 13:39:22 PT:
News Brief
Pot Activist Gets Out of Jail, Minus StashSource: Edmonton Journal (CN AB) Published: Tuesday, January 30, 2001 Address: P.O. Box 2421, Edmonton, AB, T5J 2S6 Copyright: 2001 The Edmonton Journal Contact: letters thejournal.southam.ca Forum: http://forums.canada.com/~edmonton Website: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/ Note: Grant Krieger wants his $1,000 of pot returned.Marijuana activist Grant Krieger was released from jail Monday, but he went home without his stash. After serving seven days of an 11-day sentence for breaching probation on an earlier drug conviction, Krieger, who is afflicted with multiple sclerosis, left prison at 8:30 a.m. He said he didn't know why he had been released early. An Alberta justice official said Krieger was released automatically after serving two-thirds of his sentence. Although Krieger had been sentenced to 33 days initially, some of the sentence was concurrent, said Bart Johnson, justice spokesperson. The 46-year-old Calgary man, who is allowed to take marijuana for medicinal purposes, said he will have to engage a lawyer to help him get back the $1,000 of pot he tried to take into the jail with him. Guards seized about 100 grams of marijuana from Krieger when he turned himself in to serve jail time rather than pay $1,750 in fines. Last month Krieger won a landmark court decision which allows him to legally grow and ingest the drug. The province is appealing the decision. Krieger said that despite the ruling, he was advised that it is against the Calgary Correction Centre's rules to bring marijuana into the facility. The pot crusader complained the jail was not very accessible for wheelchair-bound inmates. His chair had to be collapsed to fit through the doorway of his cell and he often had to rely on fellow inmates to carry him in and out of his cell, he said.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by FoM on January 24, 2001 at 14:48:49 PT:
News Brief
Krieger's Prison Stay Will Be Brief, Says LawyerSource: Calgary Herald (CN AB) Published: Wednesday, January 24, 2001 Author: Shelley Knapp Copyright: 2001 Calgary Herald Address: P.O. Box 2400, Stn. M, Calgary, Alberta T2P 0W8 Fax: (403) 235-7379 Contact: letters theherald.southam.ca Website: http://www.calgaryherald.com/ Forum: http://forums.canada.com/~calgary Feedback: http://www.calgaryherald.com/services/feedback.htmlCalgary's marijuana crusader should be out of jail next week, rather than the middle of February, his lawyer said Tuesday. Adriano Iovinelli said his client, Grant Krieger, won't have to serve his full 33-day sentence for non-payment of $1,750 in fines. "From what I have heard from the Department of Justice and my client, he should be out by Jan.29." Krieger turned himself in to police at noon on Monday, armed with a 100-gram bag of marijuana, which he smokes to alleviate symptoms of multiple sclerosis. MS is a disease affecting the nervous system that causes tremours and paralysis. Krieger had hoped to bring the drug with him to the Calgary Remand Centre, where he would be serving his sentence. However, police seized the bag of pot, which they say will be returned to him when he is released. "The issue, from Grant's point of view, is this is something he needs to treat his illness," said Iovinelli. "If he was a diabetic or had a heart problem, he would be able to bring his medication with him, so why not his marijuana?" He added his client is already suffering from stiff joints and leg pain and would probably be confined to a wheelchair within 48 hours. Last month, Krieger won a landmark Court of Queen's Bench ruling allowing him to grow and cultivate marijuana. The 46-year-old's legal odyssey will continue when he is released from jail, said Iovineeli. "We will have to get a judge's order to get the marijuana returned. If the police just turn it over, they would be trafficking." 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by Dan B on January 23, 2001 at 22:00:33 PT:
More BS From the Antis
If Mr. Krieger were a cancer patient, would they deny him chemotherapy? If he caught a cold, would they prohibit him from using cold remedies? If he were a three-pack-a-day smoker, would they deny him cigarettes?The answer to each of these questions is, of course, no. But because his medicine is the target of an ongoing propaganda campaign against drugs not produced by pharmaceutical companies, he is denied his medication.These people make me want to barf.Dan B
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment


Name: Optional Password: 
E-Mail: 
Subject: 
Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message]
Link URL: 
Link Title: