MARIJUANA TRIAL - WITNESSES TESTIFY OF NEED FOR DRUG

Cannabis Cafe Co-Owner Charged With Possession For The Purpose Of
Trafficking

A 25-year-old who has suffered from severe pain since he was 12
because of Crohn's disease and arthritis testified in defence of the
Cannabis Cafe's compassion club Wednesday.

Patrick Hardy began using marijuana as medicine when he was about 19
after suffering side effects from prescription drugs from the opiate
class.

Lynn Wood, who, with her husband Jim, runs the Cannabis Cafe in Saint
John, is facing jail on two charges of possession of marijuana for the
purposes of trafficking after police raids in April and June of 2004.

Mr. Hardy said he knew the Cannabis Cafe was not legally allowed to
sell marijuana but took out a membership because he could rely on the
quality of the drugs.

He was one of four defence witnesses who testified Wednesday and was
the only one who has received a Health Canada authorization to possess
and use marijuana.

"It took about three years to get a card from the federal government,"
said the Moncton resident.

The application required the signature of two specialists, plus his
family doctor. It took more than two years to get appointments with
the two pain specialists willing to sign the form, and then an
additional eight months for the government to process his
application.

He was allowed to grow his own marijuana, but said the RCMP limited
the number of plants he could have because they overestimated how much
each would produce. His doctors prescribed 90 grams of marijuana per
month, so he sometimes had to make up the difference by purchasing it
from places like the Cannabis Cafe, when his plants did not provide
the quantity needed.

"If I had to use opiates for my pain, it would shorten my life span,"
Mr. Hardy said outside of court.

He described opiates as being at least five times more toxic than
marijuana and called on the federal government to make it easier to
apply for a medical exemption for marijuana.

Mr. Hardy now gets his 90 grams per month from a grower in Toronto who
is licenced by the federal government to produce marijuana. The drug
not only helps control his pain, but also is an anti-inflammatory and
has helped him to regain weight lost due to Crohn's disease.

Saint John resident Douglas Hudson, 59, testified that he uses
marijuana to control epilepsy, lower back pain, and depression.

He took a number of prescriptions to control his medical problems but
reached a point where the doses were damaging his liver. Mr. Hudson
said he found two strains of marijuana sold at the Cannabis Cafe
helped him manage better. One helped him sleep and the other kept him
awake when necessary.

He described buying marijuana on the street as "a terrible risk"
because of fears of being arrested and not knowing the quality of the
drugs.

Mr. Hudson said he discussed his marijuana use with all his doctors,
but had not applied for a Health Canada authorization to possess the
drug.

Charles Parker, 57, and Doreen Cathline, 32, also testified that they
were members of the Cannabis Cafe marijuana club and used it to deal
with pain from aliments that had been treated with limited success by
the medical profession.

On Tuesday, prosecutor Nicole Poirier questioned two witnesses who
said they purchased drugs at the cafe after lying on their
applications about their medical needs.

Defence lawyer Richard Northrup plans to call one more witness today
who is travelling from Halifax. The trial resumes at 9:30 a.m.