POT STASH ATTRACTS THIEVES

Man Shot As Fake Officer Targets His Medicinal Marijuana

A man shot during a home invasion is recovering in a Kingston
hospital today, while the OPP search for the men who posed as
officers in order to steal his medicinal marijuana.

Police said he was shot after two men barged into his home near
Portland around 7 a.m. Friday. One was wearing a jacket with the word
"police" on the back, and had a pistol. When the 30-year-old
homeowner realized what was happening, he fought back and was shot.

The intruders were apparently there to steal his medicinal marijuana
plants, said OPP Sgt. Kristine Rae, which the resident had a federal
permit to grow. Police confirmed that the men didn't get what they
were looking for.

Although the thieves are still at large, the police didn't notify the
public of the crime for three days - which Rae chalked up to a "lack
of communication" among officers. She is the officer responsible for
media releases, but was out of town. She said it was "unfortunate"
the information wasn't released Friday.

The victim was taken to Smiths Falls General Hospital, then
transferred to Kingston General Hospital where he is in stable
condition, police say.

The two thieves fled in a newer model grey or blue Jeep Cherokee.
Both thieves were described as being in their early 20s. One was
described as about six feet tall with dark hair, wearing jeans with
holes in the knees and a light jacket. The second man was shorter
than the first and had a heavier build and was wearing a dark jacket.

Medicinal marijuana advocate Mike Foster, who grew up in Napanee and
Kingston and went on to co-found the Marijuana Party of Canada, said
such cases are rare but point to the dangers of having people grow
their own marijuana for medical reasons.

The government no longer directly supplies the drug to patients with
prescriptions - used to relieve things like chronic pain or nausea -
but allows them to either grow their own or designate someone else to
grow it for them.

Foster says users can be put in danger if other people find out about
their supply.

"Home invasions can occur, and that's why it's so important to keep
the identity of the people with these permits absolutely secret," he said.

But he said in the country, people tend to know more about their
neighbours and it is more difficult to keep something like that under wraps.

"The biggest threat is still getting arrested for it, but home
invasions are a concern also," he said