CONROY CHALLENGES POT LAWS IN OTTAWA

An Abbotsford lawyer will challenge the constitutionality of Canada's pot
laws today- the first time such a dispute will be heard in the country's
highest court.

Lawyer John Conroy is representing Victor Eugene Caine, one of three
appellants claiming the cannabis laws violate rights protected under
Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Caine was busted for marijuana possession almost 10 years ago, when RCMP
officers in White Rock noted a strong smell of marijuana coming from a van
in which Caine and another man were parked.

The partly-smoked joint Caine produced for officers weighed 0.5 grams.

David Malmo-Levine of Vancouver and Ontario's Christopher James Clay are
the other men challenging the constitutional validity of the law.

Conroy was originally scheduled to argue the case on behalf of Caine in
December.

However, the case was adjourned, primarily because the Supreme Court of
Canada justices were not comfortable with the discrepancy between the
government's stand on marijuana in court and Justice Minister Martin
Cauchon's position.

Last winter, Cauchon announced he was considering decriminalizing the
possession of a few joints.