KRIEGER ALLOWED TO GROW MARIJUANA

Calgary activist Grant W. Krieger won the right to grow his own pot for one
year after an Alberta judge ruled that a portion of the federal law
prohibiting the cultivation of marijuana for medicinal purposes is
unconstitutional. However, Krieger still faces charges of trafficking.

"(The judge) gave me permission to cultivate my own medicine until the
government gets their laws straightened out," says Krieger, who uses
marijuana to help ease the side effects of multiple sclerosis.

"I am feeling excellent about it. I am quite happy. At last my pleas didn't
fall on deaf ears again."

On Monday, December 11, Justice Darlene Acton ruled that the federal
government is in violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, noting
that although people who can apply for exemptions allowing them to use
marijuana for medicinal purposes, they are still unable to access it
legally.

She gave Krieger a one-year exemption which allows him to grow the drug for
personal use.

Krieger says that at the end of one year, if the government has not
corrected its laws, Acton indicated she will strike down the act and it will
be "open growing season". He adds that this is the second or third message
that's been sent to Ottawa on the issue of medicinal marijuana.

"We are the anecdotal evidence that this is actually doing something and
you're denying it to people."

Deb Harper, a former member of the now-defunct Universal Compassion Club,
says the news is very encouraging for those who support the legalization of
medicinal marijuana. The UCC encountered several obstacles in its efforts to
help people gain access to medicinal marijuana - its members are now
supporting other clubs which she declined to name.

"The fact that it is still illegal has made it very difficult for the people
involved," she explains.

"We'll definitely be watching to see what happens."

Krieger, whose son ran for the Marijuana Party in the recent federal
election, considers the decision a big step forward. However, there are more
challenges ahead. He will be arraigned January 10 on charges of
trafficking, and then plans to fight the charge in front of a jury. He says
he is also facing jail time for previous convictions and is interested to
find out whether they will honour the judge's decision and allow him to
possess marijuana while in prison.

Krieger recently started a research foundation on cannabis, and he and his
wife are selling a hemp cookbook to raise funding. The book is available at
several hemp stores in Calgary.