POT-SMOKING GRANDMOTHER GETS ABSOLUTE DISCHARGE

HAMILTON - A 70-year-old woman received an absolute discharge Thursday
after being arrested last summer for smoking marijuana in a public
place.

Jean Cooper, a mother of six, grandmother of eight and
great-grandmother of one, pleaded guilty to the charge of possessing
less than 30 grams of pot.

The petite senior was arrested on Aug. 30 after three uniformed police
officers walked into Up In Smoke Cafe, a weed-friendly shop where
patrons openly smoke marijuana.

Federal drug prosecutor Jeffrey Levy said Cooper told police she had a
doctor's note permitting her to smoke marijuana for medical reasons.

However, she later acknowledged that did not have a legal exemption
because she had never applied to Health Canada.

Cooper began smoking pot about a year ago to help relieve symptoms of
advanced osteoarthritis, to stimulate appetite and to help her sleep.