DRUG TRAFFICKING CHARGES APPEAL UP IN SMOKE

CALGARY - The Alberta Court of Appeal has rejected the bid of a
Calgary marijuana activist seeking to have his drug trafficking
charges stayed.

Grant Krieger was looking for a constitutional exemption Wednesday
from his marijuana trafficking conviction, arguing his actions were
protected under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Krieger has
admitted he sent two packages of marijuana to Manitoba in 2003 and
2004, but has argued he was supplying it to sick people for medical
purposes. At Krieger's 2006 trial, it was argued it was too difficult
for some ill people to obtain an exemption to use the drug under the
Marijuana Medical Access Regulations -- doctors were reluctant to
sign-off on the treatment due to insurance concerns.

Krieger's lawyer, John Hooker, argued the judge made a mistake,
telling the court of appeal the law isn't perfect, and "if we follow
it blindly, sometimes great injustices arise."