MED-POT ACTIVIST GUILTY

Convicted Of Drug Trafficking

Jurors took less than one hour yesterday to convict a medicinal pot
activist of drug trafficking.

"As far as I'm concerned, all the marijuana laws do is suppress sick
people," said a dejected Grant Krieger following the verdict.

ALLOWED TO POSSESS

Jurors convicted the 54-year-old Calgary man of trafficking in
marijuana, possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession of
property obtained by crime.

Krieger was arrested Jan. 4, 2004, after Headingley RCMP pulled his
car over and found half a kilogram of marijuana in the trunk and
nearly $4,000 in cash.

Krieger -- who suffers from MS and is legally allowed to possess
marijuana for his own consumption -- told police he was delivering the
marijuana to a Winnipeg "manager" for resale to other ailing or
terminally ill marijuana users.

Krieger's admissions to police -- which he did not contest -- left
jurors little legal room to acquit him, outside of a nullified
verdict. Jury nullification occurs when a jury returns a "not guilty"
verdict -- despite evidence the accused is guilty of the offences
charged -- believing a conviction in such circumstances would be wrong
or immoral.

Justice Shaun Greenberg told jurors to set aside whatever sympathy
they might feel for Krieger in determining his guilt or innocence.

Under Canadian law, medicinal marijuana users must receive a doctor's
approval before receiving government clearance to legally possess and
consume marijuana. Users have three ways to obtain marijuana: grow it
themselves, buy it from a government endorsed seller, or directly from
the government itself.

Krieger argued many doctors are reluctant to approve marijuana for
their patients, leaving them no recourse but to secure it through
illegal means.

Krieger -- who claims he does not profit from the sale of marijuana
and survives on a disability pension -- said yesterday's legal setback
has drained his will to fight.

"It's cost me everything to come this far and you know what? I've just
run out," he said. "Everybody says 'rah rah, go-go, change the laws,'
but not one person out there is willing to contribute a penny ... and
if you ask anyone for help they turn their back on you."

Krieger will be sentenced sometime next year.