Pubdate: Thu, 11 Sep 2014
Source: StarPhoenix, The (CN SN)
Copyright: 2014 The StarPhoenix
Contact: http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/400
Author: Heather Polischuk
Page: A10

HEAD SHOP OWNER SENTENCED FOR POT FARM

REGINA - The terminally ill owner of Regina's Vintage Vinyl and Hemp 
Emporium has already paid a hefty price after police raided his 
properties and found he was growing more pot than allowed by his 
existing medical marijuana licence.

On Wednesday, Pat Baumet received a further sanction, a six-month 
conditional sentence to be served in the community.

After the frail-looking 53-year-old pleaded guilty to two charges, 
production and possession of marijuana, federal Crown lawyer Hal 
Wellsch stayed 14 other charges.

The Crown also stayed all charges against Baumet's 24-year-old son 
Dylan and 53-year-old Jocelyne Lucy Fafard.

The sentence imposed by Judge Barbara Tomkins was the product of a 
joint submission from Wellsch and defence lawyer David Halvorsen.

Baumet had no previous criminal record.

Wellsch told court police received information in February 2013 that 
Baumet, who had a permit to produce medical marijuana, was growing 
more than allowed.

Officers executed search warrants at several locations the following 
month, including a warehouse on 11th Avenue where the pot farm was 
located. Court heard Baumet was allowed to grow 25 plants and possess 
1,125 grams of the dried product under his then valid permit. Police 
seized 104 plants and a quantity of dried marijuana.

Another search, this one at a home, located a significant amount of 
the dried product in the trunk of a car. In total, Wellsch said 
police seized the plants and 74.33 pounds of dried pot.

Both Wellsch and Halvorsen noted Baumet previously had several other 
valid permits to grow marijuana for other people. Had they still been 
in place, the amount of product in Baumet's possession would have been legal.

Unfortunately, the other permits had expired by late 2012.

Halvorsen said his client - a long-time holder of a medical marijuana 
licence - went to Thailand several years ago on a shopping trip for 
Vintage Vinyl and ended up having surgery there that couldn't be done 
in Canada.

Prior to leaving on the trip, Baumet, who has cancer, was given three 
months to live.

The surgery bought him about five years, but, as of now, Halvorsen 
said his client is expected to live less than a year.

Halvorsen said Baumet, while struggling to deal with his medical 
issues, got behind in having his other permits renewed with Health Canada.

"Likewise, he had not paid proper attention to the amount of plants 
he was to have in terms of two other individuals whose licences had 
expired," Halvorsen said. "He thought they weren't expired. He was 
absolutely amazed when he was arrested because he thought that he was 
three plants under what he was allowed to have."

Halvorsen pointed out Baumet had not trafficked or supplied the drug 
to anyone other than the people he had been permitted to grow for.

Court heard that under the province's Safer Communities and 
Neighbourhoods legislation, Baumet forfeited more than $1 million, 
losing the warehouse from which the plants were seized.

Wellsch told court the Crown agreed to the conditional sentence 
because of the sizable civil forfeiture order, the guilty pleas and 
the precarious state of Baumet's health.

Outside court, Halvorsen said Baumet still has a medical marijuana 
licence, which he is expected to retain in spite of the convictions.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom