TWIST SEEN IN POT TRIAL

The sentencing of marijuana crusader Grant Krieger will have national -- if
not international -- significance, his lawyer said yesterday.

As a result, Adriano Iovinelli has been given additional time to gather
evidence about the illegal narcotic's medicinal benefits.

Provincial court Judge Bob Davie adjourned Krieger's sentencing until Oct.
19 to allow Iovinelli to get information.

Krieger, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, is to be sentenced for
possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.

He was arrested June 26, 1997, after announcing he was going to give some
of his miracle cure to a wheelchair-bound Calgary man who was about to go
on trial on a drug charge.

Iovinelli said outside court that Davie wants more information because of
the im-pact his decision will have.

"It's either going to propel the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes,
or it's going to stamp it out," the defence lawyer said.

"This has national, if not international significance." Iovinelli is
seeking a fine for his client -- a rare sentence in drug-trafficking cases.

Krieger is free pending his sentencing.

Copyright (c) 1998, Canoe Limited Partnership.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski