CRUSADER FOR POT DIES AFTER MS FIGHT

Londoner Lynn Harichy, whose efforts helped to legalize medicinal
marijuana use in Canada, died Christmas Day after a lengthy battle
with multiple sclerosis. She was 42. As part of a national network of
lobbyists, Harichy was a longtime crusader for the legalization of pot
for medicinal uses. She once lit up a joint on the steps of London
police station, an act that led to her arrest.

Two years ago, following the efforts of pot crusaders like Harichy
across Canada, the federal government eased the law on pot use for
those suffering from serious illnesses.

The Office of Cannabis Medical Access was established to regulate use
of medicinal marijuana in cases where it would have some medical benefit.

Harichy's efforts to that end leave a proud legacy, says her brother,
Wayne Fortnum. "A lot of people when they go, they didn't leave
anything behind. She has something. I'm proud that she did what she
thought she needed to do."

Harichy ran the Cannabis Compassion Club, which supplied pot to sick
people. She served more than 600 people who suffered from such
diseases as MS, AIDS, cancer, epilepsy and chronic pain.

As the rules began loosening around marijuana use for the seriously
ill, Harichy once told The Free Press why she started the club.

"The people who bought from us just couldn't go out on the street,"
she said. "It would have been too dangerous for them."

Despite the criminal charges it caused her, and the social
embarrassment she once admitted to feeling, Harichy continued pushing
the cause until her MS began to take its harsh toll over the past
year, her brother noted.

"She was dedicated to her cause," Fortnum said. "When she got her mind
(set) to do something, she did it."