MEDICINAL POT CROP STOLEN

A man who was one of the first two Canadians to win the right to grow
medicinal pot in Canada has had half his marijuana plants plus his grow
lights stolen.

Jim Wakeford, 57, said three of his mature plants, worth about $10,000,
were stolen from his grow room in Roberts Creek Friday at about 11 p.m.
Wakeford said he was home asleep at the time and woke to hear dogsbarking
but didn't realize anything amiss until the next day.

Wakeford said the heist has left him with just half his legally-allowed
crop of marijuana plants. Wakeford smokes marijuana to cope with the
affects of AIDS.

Five days later, thieves struck again. This time they took 10 grow lights
and new marijuana seedlings Wakeford had started.Wakeford has reported the
theft to Gibsons police, who came to dust the grow room for fingerprints.

"I want these thieves caught," he said.

It was only a few months ago, in November, that Gibsons police were the
ones seizing Wakeford's pot plants in a bust at the house. That issue is
still before the courts.

Wakeford said he's considered that recent publicity about his medicinal
marijuana cause, including a feature in the Coast Reporter, may have
alerted people to the presence of his plants. But he said he doesn't regret
going public.

"The whole point of this is not to have to live in a closet," he said.

The thefts have prompted him to consider moving, though. Wakeford is urging
anyone with information about the pot heists to call the Gibsons RCMP.