MEDICAL MARIJUANA USER SUPPORTS REMOVING BAN

Andy Caisse uses a shaky hand to shield his joint from the brisk wind as he
lights up, then takes a long drag while sitting in front of the Law Courts
Building on York Avenue.

Once the joint is lit, Caisse, 34, pulls out a laminated identification
card, complete with his photograph and Health Canada logo, to show he's
within his rights and legally able to smoke weed.

"I didn't really have a choice -- with the wheelchair, I couldn't run (from
the police) quick enough," Caisse jokes.

Caisse has multiple sclerosis and has been confined to a wheelchair since
he broke his hip after a fall eight years ago.

In 2000, he searched on the Internet for a way to use weed to ease his
pain. Four months of paperwork later, Caisse was officially exempted from
Canadian laws which make it illegal to possess marijuana.

'BETTER SLEEP AT NIGHT'

"I get a better sleep at night. It relaxes my leg muscles," he said.

Yesterday, Caisse was at the Law Courts Building to support his friend
Chris Buors -- a Winnipeg pot activist who was busted Aug. 29 for running a
grow operation.

Buors, head of the Manitoba Compassion Club, claims he supplies the weed
only to people with medical problems. Since his equipment was seized during
the arrest, Buors is trying to raise money to purchase more.

Caisse keeps up on all the latest debate surrounding the legalization of
his preferred pain-reducing medicine, and says he hopes one day all
Canadians will have the same rights he does.

"It's to help a lot of people that don't want to take the medication that
(doctors) are allowing," he said. "If I'm smoking marijuana, I don't take
as many Tylenol Ones."