MEDICINAL-MARIJUANA PERMIT DOESN'T COVER 45 KILOS

(CP) - A Quebec man with a medicinal marijuana permit has been
convicted on cannabis-related charges.

Yvan Ferland, 50, faced cannabis production and possession charges
after police discovered 45 kilograms of pot at his home in December, 2007.

While he had a Health Canada permit that allowed him to cultivate
cannabis for therapeutic purposes, the amount far exceeded the
five-kilogram limit stipulated in his licence.

He admitted he surpassed the limit but says he followed government
recommendations to conserve what he didn't use and turn it into
compost. He insisted he never sold drugs to anyone and produced the
drug strictly for his own medical needs.

The former bush pilot told jurors that cannabis was the only remedy
to alleviate the back pain he's suffered since a crash in 2001.