SHERIFFS TO UNDERGO POT TRAINING

Courthouse sheriffs will soon get a lesson on medicinal marijuana
after a Kelowna pot smoker was detained for two hours.

Don Pio, 35, has a Health Canada card authorizing him to light up when
he needs to.

Sheriffs detained him Friday after he walked into the courthouse
smelling of weed - something the Ministry of Attorney General is
working to correct.

"As a result of this situation, Court Services will advise all
sheriffs across the province to contact Health Canada directly in
future so we can avoid this happening again," said ministry spokesman
David Townsend.

Pio smokes a joint every 40 minutes or so to control his shaking and
vomitting - symptoms of a complex medical condition. He had a toke
before he was to meet his girlfriend at the courthhouse Friday morning.

Sheriffs took him to the courthouse garage after probation staff
complained they smelled marijuana on Pio's breath. He showed them his
Health Canada card, but one of them said it was fake, he said.

When they had him empty his pockets, he pulled out a container holding
a dozen joints - his daily medication, he said. They drove him to the
RCMP detachment, where he vomitted and shook in a jail cell as police
verified his marijuana card. An officer released him with his
marijuana soon after.

"It is regrettable the individual was detained, but it was deemed to
be necessary until it was confirmed who he was," said Townsend. "The
individual had no other identification other than his Health Canada
card."

Pio hasn't ruled out a lawsuit and plans to talk to his
lawyer.

"It was hell. Absolute hell."