Licia Corbella has written pro Grant articles in past years.
The quoted article below was published in the Calgary Sun and Edmonton Sun.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Doped up system
By LICIA CORBELLA
Calgary Sun (http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Columnists/Corbella_Licia/2007/03/30/3869868.html)
Sometimes doing the right thing requires doing an illegal thing.
That is the central truth behind Grant Krieger's life.
On Tuesday, Canada's foremost medicinal marijuana minstrel was sentenced to four months in prison for distributing pot to sick and dying people.
But Alberta provincial court Judge William Pepler delayed the start of Krieger's sentence so corrections officials can make arrangements for Krieger to use marijuana in jail.
The irony is immense. Judge Pepler's sentencing highlights that the law is an ass. Krieger is being punished for helping others get the medicine Judge Pepler recognizes as necessary and that is virtually unattainable except through illegal means.
As for Krieger, 52, he says as long as he has his medicine, bars on a jail cell are nothing compared to being trapped in a body that won't move and is racked with pain. That's his reality without his medicine.
Krieger sweeps his hand around his rented duplex in a seedy part of Calgary and asks: "Does this look like the home of a successful drug trafficker to you?"
Unlike most drug dealers -- with their expensive jewelry, fancy digs, fast cars, big screen TVs and high-tech security -- Krieger is broke, doesn't own a watch, car, stereo, or TV and his security consists of three Labrador-mix dogs who wag their tails at all visitors.
Unlike most drug traffickers, who beat up or shoot those who don't pay them, Krieger often sells his organic, life-saving medicine at a loss to those in desperate need.
The man in Selkirk, Man., who Krieger was convicted of sending 306.5 grams on Dec. 23, 2003, and another 495 grams on Jan. 8, 2004, as part of his work with the Compassion Club and the Krieger Foundation, has since died of the cancer that had him turn to alternative medicines in the first place.
But Krieger is "at peace" knowing that man's final months were more full and less painful -- along with other sick and dying people -- thanks to his sacrifice.
Krieger comes by his cannabis crusade honestly. The father of three grown children, who has suffered with multiple sclerosis for decades, was first introduced to marijuana after he attempted suicide in 1994.
"I spent every day sitting in my wheelchair, trapped inside my body, unable to even stand and in terrible pain from almost constant spasms," explains Krieger.
"I had no quality of life. My life was pain and suffering, that's all."
Then another MS sufferer provided him with some marijuana and the relief was almost instant. The spasms stopped and soon Krieger was off of his expensive medications and was walking and driving again.
"My life was saved for a reason. I feel compelled to help others so they won't try to kill themselves," says Krieger, whose trials have seen him win ground-breaking judgments all the way up to the Supreme Court.
Back on Dec. 11, 2000, Alberta Court of Queen's Bench Justice Darlene Acton handed down a landmark ruling in which Krieger won the right to grow and cultivate marijuana.
She placed no limits on how much he could possess or carry and no restrictions on providing pot to other sick individuals.
As she said then, there is an absurdity in the federal law that gives ill Canadians, suffering from severe illness like MS and AIDS, the right to possess marijuana but no legal outlet in which to buy it.
Yes, it's true the feds now make it possible for sick Canadians to buy medicinal marijuana through legal means, but it's almost impossible to find a physician who will prescribe it.
Just another vicious cycle that spins our legal system into disrepute and throws righteous people in jail.
Contact:
[email protected]
Calgary Sun (http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Columnists/Corbella_Licia/2007/03/30/3869868.html)
The letter I wrote below to Lisia and the editor of the Calgary Sun and Edmonton Sun:
Fri, March 30, 2007
Doped up system
Selling medicinal pot lands man in jail, and he'll be allowed to blaze
By LICIA CORBELLA
Alberta Provincial Court Judge William Pepler stated before he handed down a 4 month prison sentence on March 27 / 07. Mr. Krieger must suffer the consequences of his actions.
I was shocked at the judges comment. Grant and his family has suffered all so much for so many sick and dying people already. The judge had read the pre sentence report filled with information on the Krieger families suffering over the many years Grant has been fighting a law, on behalf of thousands of sick and dying people, that should of been tossed out long ago.
Canada and even the USA have federal legal medical cannabis programs in place. Sadly Canada's MARR is seriously lacking. The facts say it all. Canada only has 1500 to 1700 Health Canada medical cannabis exempted citizens in the program. Of course there are a heck of a lot more sick Canadians that could benefit from medical cannabis products then just 1700. Most of those grow their own or have it grown for them. These same sick people can ill afford the PPS (1) contaminated cannabis to start with let alone having to be stuck with consuming only one cannabis strain found to have heavy metals in it. (2)
Lisia Corbella knows the truth about Grant and medicinal cannabis. I have much respect for her courage to take the time and efforts to research the facts and then publish them in the main stream media.
Thank you Lisia you have many fans that have a heck of a lot of respect for you and your journalism!
Sincerely
Keith Fagin
(403) ***-****
(1) Prairie Plant Systems / Cannasat
(2) In response to your last e-mail let me briefly outline my reasons for
resigning from the Cannasat Scientific Advisory Board.
1) When I first heard the complaints about the PPS marijuana which was
being sold as a medicine I became concerned about heavy metal and other
contaminants and shared my concern with Andrew Williams of Cannasat and
asked him if I could see the toxicology reports. I was promised that they
would be sent within two months, as soon as they were available. I asked
for them several times over the course of more than a year; I never received
them.
2) As one who has more than once been threatened with lawsuits and the
loss of my license to practice medicine for things I have written on
cannabis, I was disturbed when I learned that a lawsuit was threatened
against Philippe Lucas in connection with what he wrote about his concerns
about metal contamination and gamma radiation of the PPS product. In my
view, Philippe was behaving in a morally responsible way to raise these
questions and his freedom to do so should not have been challenged in the
way that it was.
3) From the time of the creation of the Scientific Board my counsel was
sought less and less frequently and not at all in connection with any of the
major decisions made in connection with PPS and its product, the direction
of the research, etc. It seemed pointless to remain on the Scientific
Advisory Board of an organization in which I had little influence and
growing doubts.
Early on I met some delightful people and enjoyed working with them. The
standout person, of course, was Hilary Black, whom I have always admired,
and now that I know her through her work with Cannasat, admire even more.
She is a great asset to this movement.
Warm regards,
Lester
Lester Grinspoon M.D.
Harvard Medical School
35 Skyline Drive
Wellesley, MA 02482
(Welcome to Marijuana: The Forbidden Medicine (http://www.rxmarijuana.com))
(Marijuana Uses - Dr. Lester Grinspoon's Marijuana Uses (http://www.marijuana-uses.com))