CONDITIONAL SENTENCE FOR GROWING POT IN MAPLE RIDGE

A Maple Ridge woman who grew marijuana as medicine for her sick
husband will not be going to prison.

Provincial court judge Shehni Dossa instead imposed a 15-month
conditional sentence on Shelley Raets, which will allow her to serve
time in the community.

"This was an elaborate growop in a number of rooms," Dossa said before
handing Raets the sentence. "You didn't go about it the right way to
get the appropriate exemptions from the government."

Raets, 54, and her husband, Timothy Fury, were charged with production
of a controlled substance, drug trafficking and theft of hydro in
September, three months after Ridge Meadows RCMP raided a grow
operation at their home.

Police were alerted to the growop, in the 24900-block of 116th Avenue,
by B.C. Hydro.

After executing a search warrant at the property, police found 219 pot
plants in a detached garage in three room. A fourth room contained
clones or plant cuttings.

The growop had a carbon dioxide generator, seven fans, an air
conditioning system and venting in the rooms.

The growop was being powered via a hydro bypass.

Raets, who is a registered nurse, pleaded guilty to the charge of
producing a controlled substance in December and has repaid B.C. Hydro
for the $8,334 in electricity she stole.

Charges against her husband were stayed.

"This wasn't a profit motivated situation," said her lawyer, Henry
Sarava.

"It has to with the health concerns of Mr. Fury, who has significant
health problems."

Fury has had lung cancer and suffers from a genetic condition called
hemochromatosis, which leads to a build of too much iron in his body.
His kidneys are also compromised.

His doctor has told him he is eligible to receive medical marijuana
under Health Canada guidelines.

The couple, however, failed to apply for the Health Canada
permit.

"She decided foolishly to grow marijuana as a pain killer," said
Sarava.

Proponents for legalization, however, say Raets' situation is all too
common.

"The Health Canada process is very difficult to get onto," said Dana
Larsen, a director with Taggs Medical Cannabis Dispensary, which
opened last year in Maple Ridge.

"It's a very bureaucratic and restrictive system and a lot of people
feel they have no choice but to grow their own medicine at home. They
have to chose between that and suffering."

Larsen, a B.C. NDP leadership candidate, would like to see Canadian
province run the medical marijuana program. He adds it would spare
people like Raets from being saddle with criminal record.

"I believe that British Columbia could license and regulate medical
marijuana production, both the growing and dispensing of it. It would
be a great benefit to the people of our province."