CROWN DROPS DRUG CHARGES AGAINST LICENSED MARIJUANA USER

10 Plants Found By Police While Permit Was In The Mail

A medical marijuana user who was charged with cultivating the drug just
four days before her licence to do so arrived in the mail had the case
against her stayed by the Crown yesterday.

Margaret Harrington, 51, was licensed to possess the drug and had applied
for a permit to grow marijuana in her Kemptville home, roughly 45
kilometres south of Ottawa.

Ms. Harrington was prescribed marijuana by a doctor to help her cope with
the constant pain she suffers as a result of accidents, surgeries and
ailments, including fibromyalgia.

She wanted to grow the drug because she said government-supplied marijuana
was of poor quality and black market prices were too high.

Before her permit arrived, Ms. Harrington got to work growing 10 marijuana
plants.

On April 22, a police officer arrived at her door to discuss another matter
and smelled the marijuana.

Ms. Harrington showed the officer her licence to possess the drug and
explained that her licence to grow it was coming in the mail.

However, as she didn't yet have the licence, the officer applied the letter
of the law, and Ms. Harrington was charged.

The licence arrived four days later, allowing Ms. Harrington to legally
grow her marijuana.

The federal prosecution service stayed the charge yesterday after deciding
that pursuing the case would not be in the public interest.