KRIEGER FACES FRESH POT CHARGE

As the legal woes mount for medicinal marijuana advocate Grant
Krieger, supporters are praising his "heroic" efforts while critics
say good intentions don't exempt him from the law.

Krieger, who is appealing a trafficking conviction here last month, is
facing a new legal battle after being stopped by police Wednesday
night outside Winnipeg.

Officers pulled over a vehicle near Headingley and seized a pound of
pot, said Sgt. Steve Saunders, spokesman for the RCMP in Manitoba. A
trafficking charge is pending.

Krieger told the Herald he was delivering the marijuana to chronically
ill patients.

He said the weed was worth $3,200. Police also seized about $4,000 in
cash -- the proceeds from marijuana delivered to chapters of Krieger's
compassion club in Saskatoon and Regina, he said.

"It's a really heavy hit," Krieger said. "(But) the people who are
really penalized are the people who are sick and on a fixed income."

The 49-year-old Calgarian is a longtime multiple sclerosis sufferer
and uses cannabis butter to manage his pain. While patients who are
issued waivers can legally grow and possess small amounts of the drug,
Krieger said people like him who provide a safe, reliable supply are
still subject to prosecution.

Many salute Krieger's efforts.

"Grant's a modern-day hero," said Marc Emery, president of the B.C.
Marijuana Party.

"He's doing some tremendous things for a lot of people at no personal
gain to himself. You can't fault a guy for that."

The editor of Cannabis Health, based in Grand Forks, B.C., said
Krieger has paid a huge price.

"Grant has no intention of quitting what he's doing, regardless of
what the courts do to him," said Brian Taylor. "He's committed to the
point where his family has been disrupted."

Calgary Northeast MP Art Hanger, however, rejected the notion that
nobel intentions should exempt Krieger from prosecution.

"I don't buy that," said the Canadian Alliance representative. "Who
appointed him to be the distributor of the marijuana?"

According to Mount Royal College criminologist John Winterdyk,
officers have no choice but to lay charges. "Police are required to
enforce the law irrespective of public opinion or attitudes," the
Calgary instructor said. "Their hands are tied."

Krieger was released from police custody on a promise to appear in
court in Winnipeg on March 19.