MEDICAL MARIJUANA GROWER SHOT DURING ATTEMPTED THEFT OF PLANTS

Pair Posed As Police To Gain Access To House Where Drug Was Grown

A man shot during a home invasion is recovering in a Kingston
hospital today, while the OPP search for the men who posed as police
officers in order to steal his medicinal marijuana.

Police said the homeowner was shot after two men barged into his home
near Portland, 90 kilometres south of Ottawa, about 7 a.m. Friday.
They were wearing jackets that said "police" on the back, and had a
pistol. When the homeowner realized what was happening, he fought
back and was shot.

The intruders apparently wanted to steal the man's medicinal
marijuana plants, which the resident had a federal permit to grow,
said OPP Sgt. Kristine Rae. Police did not say whether they got what
they were looking for.

Although the thieves are still at large, the police did not notify
the public about the crime for three days, which Sgt. Rae blamed on a
"lack of communication" among officers.

She was out of town, and is the officer responsible for media
releases. She said it was "unfortunate" the information wasn't released Friday.

The victim was taken to Smiths Falls General Hospital, then
transferred to Kingston General Hospital, where police say he is in
stable condition.

The thieves fled in a newer model grey or blue Jeep Cherokee. Both
were described as being in their early 20s. One was described as
about six feet tall with dark hair, wearing jeans with holes in the
knees and a light jacket. The second man was shorter than the first
and had a heavier build and was wearing a dark jacket.

Medicinal marijuana advocate Mike Foster, who grew up in Napanee and
Kingston and went on to co-found the Marijuana Party of Canada, said
such cases are rare, but point to the dangers of having people grow
their own marijuana for medical reasons.

The government no longer directly supplies the drug to patients with
prescriptions --used to relieve things like chronic pain or nausea --
but allows them to grow their own or designate someone else to grow
it for them.

Mr. Foster says users can be put in danger if other people find out
about their supply.

"Home invasions can occur, and that's why it's so important to keep
the identity of the people with these permits absolutely secret," he said.

But, he said, in the country, people tend to know more about their
neighbours and it is more difficult to keep something like that under wraps.

"The biggest threat is still getting arrested for it, but home
invasions are a concern, also," he said.