MAN BATTLING TO SELL POT AS MEDICINE FOUND GUILTY

CALGARY (CP) -- A Saskatchewan man crusading for marijuana to be legalized
for medicinal uses was found guilty Tuesday of possession of the drug for
the purpose of trafficking.

But that won't stop Grant Krieger, 43, from defying the law. Minutes after
the guilty verdict, Krieger promised to continue selling marijuana to the
terminally ill.

"I'm on a mission. Laws have to change," said Krieger, who says he smokes
and eats marijuana to alleviate symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

"Society is denying us the right to nurse ourselves back to a much better
quality of health."

Judge Robert Davie rejected Krieger's charter challenge to the trafficking
charge.

Canada's Controlled Drug and Substance Act protects public health and safety
and doesn't exempt people who sell drugs even if they are in pain, Davie said.

Defence lawyer Adriano Jovinelli unsuccessfully argued under the Charter of
Rights and Freedoms that the law interferes with his client's quality of life.

Jovinelli said the guilty verdict came as no surprise.

"It was anticipated, because the issue wasn't an individual's right to use
marijuana, but rather, does someone have the right to give it to someone
else who he believes needs it for medical purposes," Jovinelli said.

"As the judge says, that's not protected under the charter."

Krieger said he ultimately wants to take his case to the Supreme Court of
Canada so that the issue is decided for all Canadians.

The former sales representative was charged last June after lighting up a
joint outside a Calgary courthouse in a show of support for a man who also
uses the drug for medicinal purposes. Krieger also acknowledged giving the
man marijuana.

Krieger gained international attention in 1996 when he was arrested in
Amsterdam for trying to transport a kilogram of marijuana back to Canada.

He has yet to stand trial on charges related to that incident.

Krieger, who's from the tiny community of Preeceville 230 kilometres
northeast of Regina, wants a government distribution network for medicinal
marijuana.

"There's a lot of sick people in Canada that have no way of getting what
they need for medicine," he said.

"They can't go to a drugstore for it, can they?"

Krieger will be sentenced Aug. 17. There is no minimum sentence for
trafficking but the maximum is life in prison.

"He's going to have to go to jail," said his daughter, Lindsay Krieger, 19.
"He can't pay a fine. He cannot do fine option. There's no other choice."

Krieger, who lives on a $750-a-month government pension, said he is broke.
His electrical power was cut off in his cabin two weeks ago because he
couldn't pay a $788 utility bill.

Krieger said since he replaced his prescription drugs with marijuana in
1994, he no longer feels suicidal. He praised marijuana for enabling him to
jog and rock climb.

Krieger said the judge is trying to protect society as a whole at the cost
of the terminally ill.

"It's new ground. It's walking safe," he said.

Krieger said his family is also paying a cost. He wants to live with his
daughter, but fears she will be arrested if police find his drugs in their
shared home.

"It's busting up my family and a lot of other families," he said.

Checked-by: Melodi Cornett