Pubdate: September 15, 1997

Source:  London Free Press
Contact: MS PATIENT TO MAKE POINT WITH POT

 SHE'LL SMOKE MARIJUANA OUTSIDE THE LONDON  
POLICE STATION TODAY

          CREDIT: By Roxanne Beaubien  Free Press Reporter

If she's lucky  or so she says  Lynn Harichy will be arrested
today, becoming the second Londoner to launch a legal challenge to
Canada's marijuana laws.

Shortly after 10 a.m, she plans to smoke a joint in front of the
police station on Dundas Street. Her goal, she said, is to be charged
with possession. Her quest is to continue the local fight to
legalize marijuana started by Chris Clay, the former owner of Hemp
Nation.

CONSTANT PAIN

Harichy, 36, has multiple sclerosis. She uses pot to dull her
constant pain and help her concentrate on going to school and doing
daytoday activities.

The wife and mother of two wants to see pot legalized and said she's
willing to put her clean criminal record on the line. "When I smoke .
. . I have the energy to get up and do the dishes, I have the energy
to do my housework," she said, sitting in the back yard of her
London home. "I'll take the risk because what I am doing is right."

London police Const. Tony Morton said if she shows up and lights up,
she will be charged.

STILL ILLEGAL

"Possession (even of one joint) is still illegal," he said Sunday.
Harichy is picking up the bid to legalize marijuana after the August
conviction of Clay on charges of trafficking marijuana, possession of
the drug and possession for the purpose of trafficking.

While Ontario general division Justice John McCart concluded
marijuana is relatively harmless compared to alcohol and tobacco, he
didn't address its use for medical reasons in his ruling.
Clay said after the verdict he'll file an appeal.

Diagnosed at 18 with the central nervous system disease, Harichy said
she gets her supply of marijuana from friends, some who grow their own
for medicinal uses.

She normally takes a hit every hour or so throughout the day. "So by
the time the hour's over, it's worn off and I'm normal," she said.

The sideeffects of prescription medication she has taken in the past
include blisters, burning sensations and insomnia, so she prefers
treating the pain of "pins and needles" that can last for days or
weeks at a time with marijuana.

Currently taking night classes to be a medical lab assistant, Harichy
said the money to pay for the court case she hopes to face will be
from a local fund established for challenging Canada's pot laws.

Harichy also plans to lobby Ottawa politicians to help get
discussions of legislative changes going. "This is a lot larger than
me," she said. "I deal with a lot of people about this."

Although she uses pot for medicinal purposes, she said it should be
legalized for everyone and regulated like tobacco. "There is no harm
in it. It has been proven," she said.