Title: Fight to decriminalize the use of marijuana.
Guest: JEFFREY KOFMAN, CBC Reporter
CHRIS CLAY, Fmr. HempStore Owner
ALAN YOUNG, Law Professor
UNIDENTIFIED Supporters

ALISON SMITH: An Ontario man says he will take his fight to decriminalize
the use of marijuana to the Supreme Court of Canada. Chris Clay was
convicted in a lower court today of possession and trafficking. Clay
believes people should be allowed to use marijuana in their own homes. And
as Jeffrey Kofman reports, while the judge said he thought marijuana is
harmless, the law is the law.

JEFFREY KOFMAN: It was an unlikely scene in this quiet, conservative city.
Right there, on the court house steps.

UNIDENTIFIED: Who needs some pot? Who needs some pot?

KOFMAN: A throwback to the 1960s, as a dozen defiant marijuana smokers
openly, flouted Canada's laws.

UNIDENTIFIED: This isn't hurtin' anyone. You see 20 people here smokin'
joints. We're all fine.

KOFMAN: It was a protest in support of this man, Chris Clay. Two years ago,
he publicly challenged Canada's drug laws by selling marijuana seeds and
seedlings in his local store; Hemp Nation. Today, he was convicted on three
counts of possession and trafficking.

CHRIS CLAY / FMR. HEMP STORE OWNER: It's very frustrating. I mean, I
thought at least something good would come out of it. Maybe he would make a
ruling on medical marijuana or decriminalize it for personal use. Obviously
that didn't happen, and we're going to appeal.

KOFMAN: In his decision, Judge John McCart acknowledged that most other
Western countries have eased their laws concerning cannabis, noting that
"the national governments of Canada and the United States appear to be
somewhat out of step with most of the rest of the Western world." Law
professor Alan Young has donated his time to Clay's defence. He argued the
case based on the Charter of Rights, but Judge McCart said if changes are
to be made, they should be made by parliament, not the courts.

ALAN YOUNG / LAW PROFESSOR: I'd love this to be in the House of Commons.
But you tell me, how are we going to get to the House of Commons.
Twentyfive years ago they were told by the Ledate commission to do
something about this. They've done nothing.

KOFMAN: Amidst all the costs of the court case and all the pressures, Chris
Clay has quietly gone out of business. He handed over the keys to his store
to a friend two weeks ago. Clay himself is to be sentenced in early
September. Jeffrey Kofman, CBC News, London Ontario.