With the manager of a former pot outlet busted, another London man is
stepping forward to continue the fight to sell marijuana for medical use in
London.

Pete Young, board member and spokesperson for Medical Marijuana Centres of
Ontario (MMC), said yesterday he and others in the area will look into
opening a new Cannabis Compassion Centre. A planning meeting is scheduled
March 18 at Young's London store, the Organic Traveller, at 343 Richmond St.

The new centre will replace the one closed last week in the Boston Herb,
owned by Lynn and Mike Harichy. London police raided it Friday.

Mike Harichy appeared in London court Wednesday on drug possession and
trafficking charges. He will appear again March 24.

His 37-year-old wife, who has been crusading to have marijuana legalized,
helped open the outlet at their Wellington Street store about a year ago.
She has multiple sclerosis and says she smokes the drug to deal with
chronic pain and nausea.

Young, who plans to ask London police for their support, wants the new
outlet to again provide marijuana for medicinal use to people who suffer
from AIDS, cancer and multiple sclerosis or those with a letter from their
doctor endorsing marijuana use.

Marijuana possession and trafficking are against the law but an Ontario
court ruled last year the government couldn't deny medicinal marijuana to a
Toronto epileptic.

Health Minister Alan Rock recently announced the government was planning to
hold clinical medical trials of the drug. Young said his group can't sit
back and wait for more than a year for Rock to act on his plans.

Young's group has Cannabis Centres in Kitchener and Toronto.