Pubdate: Mon, 06 Jun 2005
Source: Truro Daily News (CN NS)
Copyright: 2005 The Daily News
Contact:  http://www.trurodaily.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1159

MARIJUANA ISSUE STILL A BIT SMOKY

Clearly there is something wrong with our country when a prison guard admits
that marijuana was grown in his house and he even took part in its
recreational use.

Phillip Murray Munro was fired from the Central Nova Scotia Correctional
Facility after he was arrested, along with his wife, by Tantallon RCMP who
executed a search warrant at their home in October, 2001.

Munro was fired two months after the bust, in which the two were charged
with illegally producing marijuana, possession for the purpose of
trafficking, possession of cannabis resin and stealing electricity from Nova
Scotia Power.

Three days after losing his job, he appealed the decision arguing he was let
go "without just cause."

During that grievance hearing, it was learned that Munro's wife had been
using marijuana since 1996 to relieve pain caused by irritable bowel
syndrome. In 2001, while Munro was away, she called some friends over and
installed grow equipment in the basement.

To his credit, Munro asked that the plants be removed, but his wife declined
the invitation. So, Munro kept working at the jail while his wife raised 65
marijuana plants for her own medicinal use, stating that he saw no conflict
with his employment because he had no involvement other than personal
knowledge of the crime that was being committed.

As for the charges against him, they were stayed because the RCMP officer
who busted them, was charged with drug trafficking himself. No wonder the
Americans are worried about loosening the drug laws in Canada.

Not only was Munro reinstated, the Justice Department had to dip into the
tax coffers to come up with $1,000 in costs to pay the government union that
defended the man who worked at a provincial jail. To top it off, the
president of the Nova Scotia Government Employees Union is pleased as punch
that the correctional worker is now behind bars, but getting a paycheque for
being there.

"We're very pleased with the outcome ..." said Joan Jessome.

We are all aware that there is a move afoot to decriminalize possession of
small amounts of marijuana. But it is not decriminalized yet.

We all feel compassion for people who, by necessity, turn to marijuana for
medicinal purposes. But you need a doctor's prescription.

We can all understand the desire for some people to grow their own supply of
medicinal marijuana. But stealing electricity is still a crime.

Munro's own testimony should give the RCMP just cause to issue another
search warrant and see if these shenanigans are still ongoing.

That, at least, would give us some confidence in the justice system, which
appears to have gone horribly off the rails in this instance.
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MAP posted-by: Josh