DEALER TO THE DESPERATE FACES COURT

Ernest Stanking says he has nothing to hide.

For the past 15 years, he's been growing a forest of top-notch pot in his
Port coquitlam back yard -- a crop, he estimates of something like 110
kilograms a year. He sniffs at the hydroponic stuff grown quickly--and
profitable--in basements across the Lower Mainland.

"There's only one way you can grow medical marijuana," he insists. "It's
in the ground, in clean living soil."

Ernest is an AIDS patient. He says his special brand of organic marijuana
helps to ease the symptoms of his condition.

But that's not all. Ernest, who recently moved to east Vancouver, supplies
about 130 clients--people who suffer from AIDS or cancer.

"If they phone me, I don't care what time of day or night it is," he says.
"I'm on the road and gone. My wife and me have almost split up over that."

So. Good samaritan? Or drug pusher?

That's likely to be a question raised in a Port Coquitlam courtroom May 3
when Ernest stands trial on a charge of possession for the prupose of
trafficking. He was stopped in a roadside check last October while driving
to a client's house.

Ernest says he never drives stoned and, even though his car reeked of pot,
he wasn't expecting a problem. He claims his practice has been well known
to his neighbours, his doctors and to Tri-cities police for at least three
years.

His case is being watched closely by advocates of legalizing marijuana for
medical purposes -- a a move that is being considered by federal Health
Minister Allan Rock.

"This is a hard one for the courts because I will not, with what I know
about HIV and medical marijuana and with my religious convictions, stand by
and watch people suffering needlessly," says Ernest. "If they're in pain I
can't just walk away and leave them like that."

He says his grow operation began shortly after he was diagnosed with HIV 16
yars ago. "I got it from a needle on my 18th birthday," he says.

Now married with a five-year-old daughter, he says hard drugs have not been
part of his life for a long time. He regards his marijuana use as part of
a holistic approach to treating his illness.

He says his clients, who pay $125 an ounce (about a third of the going
rate) report that the marijuana helps them to relax, deal with pain and
maintain something of an appetite.

"There's no profit margin in what I'm doing," says Ernest. "I am not a
drug dealer." He vows to continue his operation regardless of the court's
verdict. "I will supply anyone who's in medical need," he says. "It isn't
just about HIV or AIDS. This is about medical necessity. Marijuana is not
a weed and it is not dope. It's not a drug. It's a plant that was put on
this earth the same as every other plant -- for us to use."

So. Good samaritan? Or drug pusher? Let me know what you think.

TELL ME YOUR STORY: Call 605-2047. Fax:605-2759. Or e-mail
(pcluff@pacpress.southam.ca).