MARIJUANA ADVOCATE 'A DANGER TO SOCIETY'

Crown's Argument Provokes Rhetorical Reply: 'She's Right'

A Quebec Crown attorney called a Gatineau man convicted of growing
marijuana with an intent to traffic "a danger to society" in a Gatineau
courtroom yesterday.

"A danger to society?" said Raymond Turmel outside the courtroom. "She's
right. Because by the time I'm finished, the marijuana laws will be scrapped."

A July 2000 police raid on Mr. Turmel's basement apartment in Hull found
444 seedlings and 153 mature marijuana plants.

He was convicted of possession and cultivation of marijuana with intent to
traffic in December, and was to be sentenced at the Palais de Justice in
Gatineau yesterday.

The judge delayed the sentencing until May 28 to give Mr. Turmel time to
have the Crown's arguments translated into English.

Mr. Turmel, who ran as a candidate for the Marijuana Party in the last
election, has been fighting against what he calls unfair medicinal
marijuana laws for several years.

He has several previous convictions stretching back to 1990.

In the December trial, police testified Mr. Turmel had enough marijuana in
his apartment to make between 30,000 and 60,000 joints.

Mr. Turmel said he was growing the plants for his chronically-ill wife and
friends.

Mr. Turmel has already appealed his December conviction, and is to appear
in court again today to present further reasons for his appeal.

He said he plans to take his case all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada.

Crown attorney Anouk Desaulniers argued for a sentence of 20 months for Mr.
Turmel, saying the court decision needs to serve as a deterrent for others
tempted to violate the law.

Reading from the pre-sentencing report, she said it is "probable" Mr.
Turmel will reoffend.

"When he gives out marijuana to his neighbour, he doesn't know what she's
doing with it," she said to the judge.

"How does he know that what he gives her won't end up in a schoolyard? He
is a danger to society."

She added that Mr. Turmel's distribution undermines the official system
regulating marijuana use for medicinal reasons.

To be approved for medicinal marijuana, a patient has to fill out a form
signed by one doctor and two specialists stating the drug will help the
patient's condition.

Mr. Turmel, who is representing himself in the case, will make his
pre-sentence statements to the judge in May.

"I will ask the judge for the sentence to take into account the harm to
society versus the good I did for the people who need medicinal marijuana,"
he said.