EXPERT: 76 YEARS' WORTH OF DOPE IN MACCAN MAN'S STASH

AMHERST - It would take 76 years for one person to smoke all the
marijuana that was found growing on the property of a Maccan-area man
who claims the drug cures cancer, an RCMP drug expert said Wednesday.

"And that person would have to be a heavy user," Cpl. James Duggan
testified on the third day of Ricky Logan Simpson's jury trial in Nova
Scotia Supreme Court.

Mr. Simpson, 57, faces charges of possessing less than 30 grams of
marijuana, possessing less than three kilograms of cannabis resin for
the purpose of trafficking and unlawfully producing marijuana.

Cpl. Duggan said his assertion was based on calculations in which he
"conservatively estimated" that the 1,190 plants taken during an Aug.
3, 2005, raid on Mr. Simpson's property would generate about 83,300
grams of usable marijuana.

"A heavy drug user would smoke about 10 joints a day, which is about
three grams of marijuana. Simple calculations show it would take that
person 76 years to smoke all the marijuana created by 1,190 plants,"
Cpl. Duggan said.

He also testified the value of the marijuana plants growing on Mr.
Simpson's property would range from $460,000 to $830,000 depending on
how the marijuana was sold.

Most marijuana, he explained, is sold by the pound or by the gram. The
going rate by the pound is $2,500, while the going rate for per gram
is $10. If the marijuana was all sold by the pound, the 185 pounds
generated from the plants on Mr. Simpson's property would bring in the
lower amount. If it was sold by the gram, it would garner the higher
amount.

Cpl. Duggan further testified the plants, equipment, such as a still
and scales, and paraphernalia, such as pipes and bongs, found on Mr.
Simpson's property were consistent with an operation in which the
grower not only grew the plants drug on his property, but used the
drug on site and produced THC oil from marijuana.

Under cross-examination, Cpl. Duggan agreed with Mr. Simpson's
assertion that he did not gain financially if he was giving the
marijuana oil away.

The officer also confirmed that he participated in a second raid on
Mr. Simpson's property in 2006 but said he did not know why Mr.
Simpson was not charged following that raid.

Mr. Simpson attempted to ask Cpl. Duggan several questions about the
medicinal value of marijuana, but the officer was not allowed to
answer them because Justice Felix Cacchione ruled that he did not have
the expertise.

The judge also wouldn't allow the officer to respond when Mr. Simpson
asked Cpl. Duggan if it bothered him that the raids on his property
were "taking medicine away from people" who needed it to cure cancer.
The judge said the answer would require a personal opinion and not
that of an expert on drugs.

Under cross-examination, Cpl. Duggan also said that he did not know of
many of the publications cited by Mr. Simpson that claim marijuana was
a cure for cancer and other diseases.

The officer did say he shared a joint with three other people when he
was 18 and did not become addicted because he smoked it. But he made
it clear that his reading and his experience have convinced him that
marijuana could be an addictive drug.

Mr. Simpson also asked the officer if the still, which has dominated
the exhibit table because of its size, could be returned to him
"because I need it."

The officer did not respond to the question.

The trial continues today when Mr. Simpson begins to present his case.