A 17-YEAR-OLD GIRL CHARGED

WINNIPEG -- A 17-year-old girl charged with possessing marijuana for
the purpose of trafficking says it's all a case of mistaken identity.

She says it was industrial-strength hemp, not marijuana, that was
seized from her home by police earlier this week when they were
investigating a tripped burglar alarm.

The Grade 11 student, who was charged under the Young Offenders Act,
said she and some friends found the hemp growing in a field near the
University of Manitoba last summer.

They picked several bags of it, brought it to her house and
experimented with it.

"We tried smoking it and it was not even worth it," said the girl. "We
tried baking it. It was disgusting. That's why it was supposed to be
in the garbage."

The girl's mother said it probably didn't help that police found a set
of precise weigh scales on the dining room table.

"I can see their position, yes, I can," said the mother. "But it's so
blown out of proportion that it's unbelievable."

She knows her daughter smokes pot and said it's OK as long as her
grades remain high and she doesn't get carried away.

"So she tokes every once in a while," said the mother. "Big deal. I
think half the world tokes these days."