A London chemistry whiz kid, caught setting up a lab to produce the rave drug ecstasy, won't do any jail time for what a judge called his "bizarre curiosity." Nikolay Valerie Burdan has already paid a steep price, Superior Court Justice John Kennedy said in suspending sentence and putting the 24-year-old Russian native on one-year probation. Burdan, who must also do 200 hours of community service, has seen his brilliant academic career brought to a screeching halt and brought shame to himself and his family, the judge said. [continues 254 words]
Marijuana Activist's Husband Fined $300, Put On 18 Months' Probation The husband of medical marijuana crusader Lynn Harichy pleaded guilty yesterday to trafficking pot through a now-closed Cannabis Compassion Centre they ran in London. Mike Harichy, 47, was fined $300 and placed on 18 months' probation on terms that would allow him to use pot medicinally -- if he obtains an exemption from the federal government available under Section 56 of the Criminal Code. That permission would be the only exception to a condition of probation that forbids Harichy from having or using any drug not prescribed by a doctor. [continues 361 words]
Medical marijuana crusader Lynn Harichy, who became a national figure two years ago when she smoked pot on the steps of London police headquarters, had her possession charge stayed yesterday. The stay, which effectively puts the charge laid two years ago into indefinite legal limbo, comes amid a changing climate on the use of marijuana as a way to ease the suffering of those with illnesses, such as AIDS, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis. Harichy suffers from multiple sclerosis. The 38-year-old Harichy was pleased, but subdued speaking to reporters following the granting of the stay by Ontario Court Justice Kathleen McGowan. [continues 705 words]
A London man with a pot problem pleaded guilty yesterday to several charges, including possession of a microwave stolen from UWO and stealing from the belongings of his girlfriend's dead brother. Andrew Michael Tremblay, 24, was remanded in custody until Sept. 24 for sentencing and preparation of a pre-sentence report. He pleaded guilty before Ontario Court Justice Deborah Livingstone to four charges: possessing the microwave, stolen from the Spencer Hall lunchroom; breaching a probation order; stealing electronic equipment from the home of his girlfriend's family, who had taken him in; and riding off with an expensive bicycle and helmet from a bike shop. [continues 346 words]
The case of pot crusader Lynn Harichy continues to drift along while the Ontario Court of Appeal ponders a long-awaited decision in another marijuana-as-medicine case. Harichy, a 37-year-old Londoner with multiple sclerosis, was charged with possession Sept. 15, 1997, when she lit up a joint on the steps of police headquarters to protest marijuana laws. She says she needs the illegal weed to ease the pain and spasms of her illness. Harichy appeared in London court yesterday for a third attempt to set a trial date, only to be remanded out of custody until Feb. 10. [continues 114 words]
Pot crusader Lynn Harichy had her trial postponed again yesterday while the Ontario Court of Appeal continues to ponder a long-awaited decision on another marijuana-as-medicine case. Harichy, a 37-year-old Londoner who sat on the police station steps and lit up a joint last year to protest marijuana laws, says she needs the illegal weed to ease the spasms and pain of multiple sclerosis. She is facing one charge of possessing marijuana and now has had two scheduled trials postponed while waiting for the appeal court. [continues 221 words]
A London man who claimed he grew marijuana to raise the money he needed to fight a paternity suit got full marks for a novel excuse yesterday -- and four months in jail. "It's the best excuse I've heard so far," Judge Ross Webster said as he sentenced Grant Donald Martin, 29. He said he also took into account Martin's guilty pleas and lack of a prior record in trimming back the Crown's request for a six-month term. [continues 242 words]
A 60-year-old "hippie who hasn't grown up yet" was sentenced to 90 days in jail yesterday for growing pot in his back yard. Joseph J. Dabros has a history of marijuana use, said his lawyer Don Crawford, and "at this age is still dabbling . . . I guess old habits die hard." Dabros pleaded guilty earlier in Ontario Court, general division to cultivation of marijuana and simple possession. On Aug. 8, 1996, police found 10 plants worth about $2,500 in the back yard and basement of the London home Dabros shares with his elderly mother. [continues 110 words]
One thing Justice John McCart didn't do is ease quietly into retirement. In his final year as a justice of the Ontario Court, general division, in London, the spry Sarnia native held the reins of one of the most closely watched and talked-about trials in the country. McCart, who reaches the mandatory retirement age of 75 on Monday, was the man on the spot as he heard the case of Christopher Clay, a hemp store owner challenging the drug laws in the hope of decriminalizing marijuana. [continues 221 words]
A London woman planted the seed of her own arrest last December when she called police after being struck by her spouse, then gave them her house key so they could arrest him. Deborah L. Logan was waiting for the officers outside her Wonderland Road South residence that day, federal prosecutor Dave Rowcliffe told Judge Alan Baker on Wednesday. With her key and her permission, they entered the home in search of Darrell T. Dubreuil, now 38. An odor of marijuana led the officers to the basement and a cardboard box full of pot. [continues 166 words]
Mindful that a milestone marijuana-as-medicine case is working its way toward the Ontario Court of Appeal this fall, a judge has postponed the trial of London's Lynn Harichy. Harichy, 36, was to go on trial April 27 on a single charge of possessing marijuana, which she insists she needs to ease the spasms and pain of multiple sclerosis. On Wednesday, Judge Alan Baker of Ontario Court, provincial division, said he wasn't willing to try Harichy's case until the province's top court has ruled on the same medical defence issue. [continues 235 words]
The London woman who has lit up the latest challenge to Canada's marijuana laws made a brief appearance in court on Tuesday and was remanded out of custody until Nov. 5. Lynn Harichy, 36, was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana last month when she attempted to light up a joint on the steps of London police headquarters. The mother of two and stepmother of two grown children has multiple sclerosis and says smoking pot numbs the pain and is superior to prescription drugs, which can cause weight gain, blisters, a burning sensation and insomnia. [continues 577 words]
Christopher Clay's lawyer said the challenge to the constitutionality of marijuana laws his client initiated won't end and an appeal is planned. By Don Murray, Free Press Justice Reporter Christopher Clay's failed attempt to defeat Canada's marijuana laws may have cost him a lot of money, but it won't put him behind bars. The 26yearold former owner of a store called Hemp Nation is not someone who belongs in jail, Justice John McCart of Ontario Court, general division, said on Friday. [continues 583 words]
It was grown in an apartment and would have been valued at $100,000, but the grower will serve only community time. By Don Murray, Free Press Justice Reporter A young London apartmentdweller who was caught cultivating what could have grown into a $100,000 marijuana crop has received a sentence of six months, to be served in the community. In passing sentence on Wednesday, Judge Alan Baker said the two offences admitted by Daniel A. Miller, 23, cultivation and possession of marijuana for the purposes of trafficking are worthy of time in jail. [continues 419 words]
