Pubdate: Sat, 04 Sep 1999
Date: 09/04/1999
Source: Calgary Herald (Canada)
Author: Fiona Doherty

Re `Marijuana crusader elects trial by jury' Calgary Herald, Aug.
31.

Does anyone else see the lunacy behind putting a sick man behind bars
for growing and smoking a substance that offers him personal relief
from the symptoms of multiple sclerosis?

Why would a compassionate, freedom -loving society do this? This man
is a human being struggling to cope with an illness that was thrust
upon him through no fault of his own. God forbidthat I ever have to
walk a mile in his shoes - never mind the countless miles he's walked
just to have the freedom to choose his own form of medication; one
that works for him where other medications have failed to offer any
improvement to his quality of life.

Aren't we all, as Canadians, entitled to the best quality of life we
can provide for ourselves?  What is this man doing that is so wrong he
must be put in jail? Since when is wanting to enjoy the same freedoms
- mobility, speech, relief from chronic pain - that we all take for
granted, a crime?

Maybe it's time for the laws regarding marijuana to be re-evaluated
and modernized. This is not a case of `drugs are good versus drugs are
bad.' This is a case of having options and choices when dealing with a
medical situation.  If marijuana is what helps Grant Krieger, then
there should not even be a question as to whether or not he can grow
and smoke it.

Good luck in court, Grant. I hope you are able to educate people, and
that a jury of your peers find you not to be a `renegade, drug-dealing
freak,' but a man who is simply trying to cope with what life has
dished out for him.

FIONA DOHERTY
Lethbridge