Medical Marijuana

COUPLE IN DARK AFTER POT BUST

Pete Roglich did not have a happy Christmas. The 52-year-old Trail
man has been without power and without his "medicine" since his home
was raided Dec. 19 and RCMP seized 200 marijuana plants.

Roglich and his wife Denise both have Health Canada permits to grow,
possess and use dried marijuana to help them treat their Hepatitis C.

"I'm sick and getting sicker each week," Roglich said. "I came to
Trail because I wanted to retire here, and die here."

No longer able to work as a truck driver, Roglich found a family
physician that supported his need for marijuana to help him control
his pain, increase his appetite and give him a better mental outlook.

The couple each received permission to grow 25 plants.

When the police arrived at his door he had 50 plants "about a month
away from maturity, 50 plants four months away, 50 six months away
and some seedlings."

The RCMP confiscated all the plants but not the growing equipment.

"They said, 'We are confiscating your house under the proceeds of
crime and we are charging you with possession for the purpose of
trafficking," Roglich said.

"I was shocked. I have never sold marijuana, never lied, never
stole. What I was doing was legal."

The RCMP "tore the house apart and took the hydro meter out, "
shutting down the power.

He was forced to spend Christmas in the cold with no heat, hot water,
or cooking facilities, "all in the middle of winter."

One of his concerns was the police didn't bother to check with Health
Canada first to see if it was a legal operation.

"If they thought I had too many plants I would have gladly worked
with them," he said.

Since he ingests marijuana instead of smoking it, Roglich sometimes
needs an ounce a day depending on how he prepares it.

"I need more than people who smoke it," he said.

Now he is considering selling his car, furniture and perhaps even his home.

"Is it better to lie and cheat and steal?" he questioned. "I was
leading a very quiet life, never bothering a soul. I am cooperative
and non-controversial. I shovel my neighbours' walkways."

Concerned about the cost of having his power turned back on, and the
ramifications on his insurance, Roglich said he has no idea what will
happen when he appears in court on March 15.

"It's like the RCMP wanted to make an example of me," he said.

"I begged them to leave me some plants but they took
everything. This is not a war against drugs; it is a war against
people. I have been left in the cold for the resin of a plant. It's wrong."

RCMP Cpl. Martin D'Anjou said the police were unaware that Roglich
had a licence until they were in the house.

Under Health Canada protocol someone with a production licence has
the option to tell the RCMP if they are growing.

However, an investigation was completed and the RCMP did have grounds
to obtain a search warrant, D'Anjou said.

"There is a distinct gap in Health Canada's allowance of how many
plants and the number of plants found therefore seized."

The power to the home was shut off as a matter of public safety, he said.

Roglich is also a pastor in the Children of God, Spirit of Christ
church, a group that believes in the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.