Pubdate: Friday, June 25, 1999 Source: Calgary Herald (Canada) Contact: http://www.calgaryherald.com/ Author: Brock Ketchum - Calgary Herald POT CRUSADER WANTS CHARGE LAID Pot crusader Grant Krieger is in a huff after Calgary police nabbed him with a half-used marijuana cigarette. Krieger, who was arrested for breach of probation, wants police to charge him with possession of the illegal drug. Police released Krieger on his own recognizance late Wednesday after arresting him in the morning. A police officer stopped him in the 5100 block of Bowness Road N.W. and found he was wanted on a warrant for failing to report to a probation officer in connection with a trafficking conviction. He is to appear in provincial court July 6 on the charge. But Krieger, who has multiple sclerosis and uses pot to manage the illness, said he handed the police officer the joint and he later raised the issue with a drug investigator. `I wanted to go to jail,' he said Thursday. `I told them, If I walk the line, I've got to do the time.' ` Police spokesman Staff Sgt. Harvey Cenaiko said no decision on charges will be made until after police and prosecutors are given the findings of a lab analysis of the alleged pot. `It's probably half the size of a cigarette filter. `We're not saying he will be charged.' Krieger, 44, is the founder of the recently launched Universal Compassion Club. The club, which has more than 30 members, is trying to line up medicinal-quality pot for seriously ill and disabled people who are seeking relief from their debilitating ailments. The probation was a condition of an 18-month suspended sentence a Regina judge gave Krieger. Krieger said police held him for four hours before letting him go. He said he drew blank stares when he invited them to charge him with possession. `I want to make sure I get charged,' he said. `I don't mind going to court. `I want my pot back.' Krieger has said he questions the legitimacy of Canada's marijuana law. Earlier this month, Health Minister Allan Rock announced his department will invite clinical trial bids from companies interested in supplying Canadian pot for medicinal use. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek Rea