Pubdate: Sat, 08 Jan 2011 Source: Peterborough Examiner, The (CN ON) Copyright: 2011 Osprey Media Group Inc. Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/4VLGnvUl Website: http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2616 Author: Fiona Isaacson Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada) EQUIPMENT RETURNED BROKEN, MEDICAL MARIJUANA USER SAYS Les Petherick's net income is $1,100 a month and he has to come up with $300 to replace equipment that he says worked fine the last time he saw it. Petherick has a medical-marijuana card and is legally allowed to grow marijuana but the card was expired when police raided his home last year, leading to charges. His charges were stayed Oct. 13 and he got his marijuana grow-op equipment back from city police around Nov. 29. The problem is that sometime between the raid and seizure of his marijuana and grow-op equipment, the equipment stopped working. He's not sure if it's the bulb or the ballast. "I don't have that kind of money to start over again," said Petherick, who uses food banks. "I have no meds, I lay on the couch. It kind of sucks really, what can you do?" he said Monday. Petherick said he hasn't told police that there's a problem because "they wouldn't do nothing anyway." He feels police should reimburse him for the broken equipment and the marijuana that was taken. City police officials told The Examiner on Friday that if police are responsible for damaging items they've seized or damage done to a home, "nine times out of 10" they would foot the bill. Insp. Tim Farquharson said Petherick should contact police. Petherick was charged Sept. 1 with production of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance after police raided the Barnardo Ave. house where he rents a room. His medical marijuana card was expired at the time. Petherick said Health Canada told him he would be fine if he just held onto his expired card. Turns out that didn't happen. Farquharson said officers in the police's drug unit know what the cards look like and know how to check if they've expired. Police also reiterated Friday that medical marijuana cards have an expiry date, just like a driver's licence. If a driver's licence is expired, that means it's illegal for someone to drive. While Petherick no longer has to appear in court on drug charges, the Crown only stayed the charges meaning they can be reactivated within a year. The Crown never stated why the charges were stayed. Once the year is up, the charges are dropped. If a charge is withdrawn, it immediately no longer exists. NOTE: Les Petherick was also charged Sept. 1 with setting a trap likely to cause bodily harm. Police said they found several wooden boards with nails sticking through them strategically placed along the property's backyard fence line. Petherick said the charge is ludicrous and a carpenter had recently been testing a malfunctioning nail gun. His next court appearance for that charge is Jan. 18. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom