T
The420Guy
Guest
Newshawk: H. Couch
Pubdate: Wed, 12 Jul 2000
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright: 2000 Winnipeg Free Press
Contact: letters@freepress.mb.ca
Address: 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg Manitoba R2X 3B6
Fax: (204) 697-7288
Author: Kim Guttormson
ONE SMOKER'S SOURCE FOR POT: POLICE STATION
HIV-Positive Man Gets Marijuana Back Thanks To Federal Medical Exemption
In a drug deal not likely to be seen again, Tim Patterson walked out of a police station
yesterday with a bag of marijuana that vice officers had just returned to him.
"I'm happy. Very happy," Patterson said, standing in front of the vice building on Princess
Street, holding a plastic bag full of the narcotic. "I'd like to get off the street with this big bag
of dope in my hand."
Yesterday's hand-off was the latest in a legal battle that Patterson, 37 and HIV-positive, has
been waging for years over his right to smoke marijuana for its beneficial medicinal effects.
He says smoking pot increases his appetite and decreases his nausea, allowing him to keep
food down and better fight the illness he's had since 1987.
"I weigh more now than I have in my whole life," Patterson said, adding he smoked a joint
half an hour before he went down to see police. He wants to be known as Marijuana Man
and jokes about getting a cape.
Three times in the past three years, police have confiscated his product and charged him.
Yesterday, they returned the evidence from his last bust in September, 1999.
Patterson now has a medical exemption from Health Canada to grow plants for his own
consumption, one of 57 people in the country who can do so. The exemption entitles him to
keep three mature and four young plants, as well as 80 grams on hand. He can't carry more
than 30 grams on his person.
Last summer, Health Minister Allan Rock approved the use of marijuana for medicinal
purposes and the government is accepting tenders from companies who will grow the drug so
any benefits can be tested.
Health Canada won't say how many people in the province have been granted the medical
exemption and local police don't have to be notified, because of confidentiality. Patterson
said he knew of at least two others in Manitoba who had applied, but didn't know if they'd
been successful.
Police spokesman Const. Bob Johnson said the medical exemption is why the Crown decided
to stay charges against Patterson and instructed police to return his dope.
"I'm pretty sure he's the first guy (we've returned drugs to)," Johnson said.
Patterson also had his hydroponic grow equipment returned to him, but has a few concerns
that weren't answered. He says it will take him 12 weeks to grow a new, usable crop and the
30 grams he had returned won't last the entire time. That means buying it from someone else
and he'd like to see them protected from legal action.
And he's interested to see what happens when he returns to his job as a transportation office
clerk with his company -- which has a zero-tolerance policy on drugs.
He's been off on sick leave since January and doesn't expect to go back until at least the end
of the year.
Meanwhile, at least one group of Manitobans has put in a bid to grow marijuana for the
government trials testing its medicinal value.
Public Works and Government Services Canada won't say how many applications it had
received by its June 28 deadline. But about 144 groups or individuals had requested bid
packages.
About 10 from Manitoba initially received information, but an informal survey of about half
of those found only one who followed through.
Shaun Crew, who works for a hemp processing plant but is teaming up with a group of
individuals to put a bid in, said he's not surprised many decided not to go forward with it.
"You assume all the responsibility, cost, risk."
MAP posted-by: Eric Ernst
Pubdate: Wed, 12 Jul 2000
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright: 2000 Winnipeg Free Press
Contact: letters@freepress.mb.ca
Address: 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg Manitoba R2X 3B6
Fax: (204) 697-7288
Author: Kim Guttormson
ONE SMOKER'S SOURCE FOR POT: POLICE STATION
HIV-Positive Man Gets Marijuana Back Thanks To Federal Medical Exemption
In a drug deal not likely to be seen again, Tim Patterson walked out of a police station
yesterday with a bag of marijuana that vice officers had just returned to him.
"I'm happy. Very happy," Patterson said, standing in front of the vice building on Princess
Street, holding a plastic bag full of the narcotic. "I'd like to get off the street with this big bag
of dope in my hand."
Yesterday's hand-off was the latest in a legal battle that Patterson, 37 and HIV-positive, has
been waging for years over his right to smoke marijuana for its beneficial medicinal effects.
He says smoking pot increases his appetite and decreases his nausea, allowing him to keep
food down and better fight the illness he's had since 1987.
"I weigh more now than I have in my whole life," Patterson said, adding he smoked a joint
half an hour before he went down to see police. He wants to be known as Marijuana Man
and jokes about getting a cape.
Three times in the past three years, police have confiscated his product and charged him.
Yesterday, they returned the evidence from his last bust in September, 1999.
Patterson now has a medical exemption from Health Canada to grow plants for his own
consumption, one of 57 people in the country who can do so. The exemption entitles him to
keep three mature and four young plants, as well as 80 grams on hand. He can't carry more
than 30 grams on his person.
Last summer, Health Minister Allan Rock approved the use of marijuana for medicinal
purposes and the government is accepting tenders from companies who will grow the drug so
any benefits can be tested.
Health Canada won't say how many people in the province have been granted the medical
exemption and local police don't have to be notified, because of confidentiality. Patterson
said he knew of at least two others in Manitoba who had applied, but didn't know if they'd
been successful.
Police spokesman Const. Bob Johnson said the medical exemption is why the Crown decided
to stay charges against Patterson and instructed police to return his dope.
"I'm pretty sure he's the first guy (we've returned drugs to)," Johnson said.
Patterson also had his hydroponic grow equipment returned to him, but has a few concerns
that weren't answered. He says it will take him 12 weeks to grow a new, usable crop and the
30 grams he had returned won't last the entire time. That means buying it from someone else
and he'd like to see them protected from legal action.
And he's interested to see what happens when he returns to his job as a transportation office
clerk with his company -- which has a zero-tolerance policy on drugs.
He's been off on sick leave since January and doesn't expect to go back until at least the end
of the year.
Meanwhile, at least one group of Manitobans has put in a bid to grow marijuana for the
government trials testing its medicinal value.
Public Works and Government Services Canada won't say how many applications it had
received by its June 28 deadline. But about 144 groups or individuals had requested bid
packages.
About 10 from Manitoba initially received information, but an informal survey of about half
of those found only one who followed through.
Shaun Crew, who works for a hemp processing plant but is teaming up with a group of
individuals to put a bid in, said he's not surprised many decided not to go forward with it.
"You assume all the responsibility, cost, risk."
MAP posted-by: Eric Ernst
