In a symbolic protest of the war on cannabis, a Québecois judge fined a man $1.30 for being in possession of 30 illegal marijuana plants.
Mario Larouche, 46, had failed to obtain a medical marijuana prescription to treat his pain and turned to growing marijuana illegally in order to relieve his symptoms. Judge Pierre Chevalier said:
“We are in a society where people are accused of possession and use of marijuana while more than half the population has already consumed. These are laws that are obsolete and ridiculous. When one is in the presence of laws which would have more than half of the population has a criminal record in Canada… And probably most Crown Attorneys and defense, and perhaps judges, but I will not comment on it.”
Few Canadian doctors are willing to prescribe cannabis for pain, although there is increasing evidence that it is effective in treating chronic pain symptoms and lacks the side effects commonly associated with prescription medication.
“Monsieur is in a broken system where it does not give people access to a natural medicine that goes back centuries, millennia,” said Chevalier.
The ruling also reflects newly-elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s progressive position on cannabis, which is leading the country towards the full legalization and regulation of the plant.
Photo Credit: KOMUnews
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