TRIAL DATE SET FOR POT GROWER

AMHERST - A trial date has finally been set for a Maccan man who
claims he was growing marijuana to help himself and 300 others with
medical conditions, but it will still be months before Rick Simpson
faces a Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge and jury.

In Supreme Court on Thursday, Mr. Simpson's two-week trial was slated
to begin Sept. 10, 25 months after police raided his property and
allegedly seized more than 1,200 marijuana plants.

Mr. Simpson, 57, did not speak during the hearing, but lawyer Jim
O'Neil indicated his former client would defend himself at trial. Mr.
O'Neil did not say why he would no longer be involved in the case.

Mr. Simpson faces one count each of possessing less than 30 grams of
marijuana, possessing less than three kilograms of the drug for
trafficking and unlawfully producing marijuana.

The Crown is proceeding summarily on the simple possession charge and
by indictment on the others. As a result, the penalty is a maximum
seven years on the production charge, five years less a day on the
possession for trafficking charge and a $1,000 fine, six months in
jail or both on the possession charge.

Since his arrest Mr. Simpson has been asking the RCMP to return the
material and equipment he used to make what he calls hemp oil. He
claims the yellowish, grease-like oil is safe and cures everything
from cancer to arthritis and psoriasis.

After his arrest Mr. Simpson ran in the January 2006 federal election,
promoting his belief that his homemade remedy is a lifesaver that is
being ignored by the government and pharmaceutical companies.

He has garnered strong support from some in the community, including
the Maccan branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. Last fall, the
legion's provincial command temporarily cancelled the branch's
charter, removed the executive and shut down the legion after its
executive ignored orders to stop supporting Mr. Simpson.

The legion has since reopened under a new executive, but some of the
former executive members continue to support Mr. Simpson.

Mr. Simpson also launched a challenge under the Charter of Rights and
Freedoms. It was heard just before Christmas, but the court banned
reporting both the evidence and its decision until the jury hearing
Mr. Simpson's case begins deliberating.