POT CRUSADER TO CITE CHARTER

Calgary pot crusader Grant Krieger will launch a constitutional
defence against trafficking charges that were set to be heard next
April.

Court of Queen's Bench Justice Patrick Sullivan ruled Wednesday that
the constitutional argument - expected to last four days - will be
heard first.

If necessary, jury trial will follow on a yet-to-be-date.

Defence lawyer Adriano Iovinelli said in a press interview following
the criminal arraignments that Krieger's rights under the Charter of
Rights to use an effective medicine - marijuana - to ease symptoms of
his multiple sclerosis are being infringed.

`We will use a combination of both section 7 and 15 (of the Charter)
to argue he has an individual right to heal himself through the use of
marijuana,' Iovinelli said. `And there is also a group in Canada that
is being systematically discriminated against by the laws of the
country not allowing them to use medicinal marijuana.'

Krieger was charged with growing and trafficking marijuana from his
northwest Bowness home last summer.