Pubdate: Sat, 11 Sep 2010 Source: Regina Leader-Post (CN SN) Copyright: 2010 The Leader-Post Ltd. Contact: http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/regina/leaderpost/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/361 Author: Lana Haight, Postmedia News TEENAGE TOKE MAY BURN MAN'S CANADIAN DREAMS A British computer programmer says his moment of candour about a youthful dalliance with marijuana is putting his dream of living in Canada in jeopardy. Chris Tarttelin says he's been ordered by Citizenship and Immigration Canada to undergo a psychiatric evaluation to make sure he's not suffering any lingering effects from having tried cannabis when he was 18. If he fails to get a psychiatric assessment by Sept. 12, he says, it could block his application to immigrate. "You can't see a psychiatrist in Saskatoon in that time frame," said Tarttelin, 37, who has an appointment with a specialist on Sept. 20. "I'm a painfully honest person. It doesn't normally occur to me to answer questions any other way." Tarttelin moved to Saskatoon in October 2008, with his wife and two children, after having been recruited by Point2 Technologies under the Saskatchewan Immigration Nominee Program. His family's immigration application is being processed at the Canadian Embassy in London. In June, Tarttelin attended a mandatory medical examination conducted by a family doctor approved by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. The doctor has a checklist that included a question about drug use. "I tried pot but didn't really take to it particularly. I tried it a couple of times but that was about it," Tarttelin recalled telling the doctor. Tarttelin said that in July he received a letter from Citizenship and Immigration Canada directing him back to the doctor. The doctor told him he had 60 days to submit to a psychiatric exam. Tarttelin and his family are packing their bags. He is worried that he will miss his deadline and frustrated that Citizenship and Immigration Canada said he can't apply for an extension until just before the deadline. "We're going to move back to the U.K until we get further along in the process," said Tarttelin. "There's a real feeling of vulnerability. In the back of my mind is the thought that if my residency application is rejected, I don't really want to be in a position of having to pack up and leave the country in a hurry. In order to stop feeling vulnerable, we've decided to move back on our own terms." He acknowledges that smoking marijuana is against the law, but wonders why that should potentially disqualify someone from immigrating to Canada when so many Canadian citizens also smoke it. "The bar is set very high," he said. A spokesperson for Citizenship and Immigration Canada confirmed that Tarttelin's smoking of marijuana 19 years ago triggered the request for the psychiatric assessment. "I see nothing on the file on the notes that I've reviewed to indicate there's been a past history of any mental problems," said Chris Gelineau, area director in Saskatchewan for Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Applicants are inadmissible to Canada if they have a health condition that might put the public health or the safety of Canadians in danger or if they have a health condition that might put excessive demand on health or social services. "We do not have a policy on medical refusals based on past use of marijuana," said Gelineau. A spokesperson for the Saskatchewan government said smoking pot 20 years ago is not grounds for refusing an application for permanent residency. "Without commenting on the specifics of any case, it doesn't sound like that would be typical," said Chris Jones-Bonk of the provincial Ministry of Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D