Canada: Death Sentence for Growing Pot
Restore-Digest Saturday, November 15 2003 Volume 2003 : Number 278
From: "D. Paul Stanford"
stanford@crrh.org
In Malaysia? Singapore? No, right here in Nova Scotia.
There was some media attention given my case during the fall of 2002 when I was sentenced to six years federal incarceration for growing and selling 4 kilograms of pot. Sensational as that was, it was not the story line.
The catch was that I had twice been awarded exemptions by Health Canada to use cannabis to treat a very painful and debilitating medical condition for which all other therapies had failed.
Prior to sentencing I petitioned the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia for relief pleading that Correctional Services Canada (CSC) would not provide my required medicine. Like Pontius Pilate, Justice Hood washed her hands of the matter and sent me off to my fate.
The federal government through Solicitor General Wayne Easter played a political card and refused to allow Health Canada to provide me with my medication. Easter was quoted in the media regarding my case as saying, "If they're in prison, they're not there to smoke marijuana."
I became very ill from the untreated pain and lost over 50 pounds of bodyweight. I was in constant pain, sick from it, unable to eat and though constantly exhausted, unable to sleep for more than an hour or two due to pain. My condition became so grave that I consulted with B.C. attorney John Conroy Q.C. who commenced a Federal Court action to have CSC provide me with Cannabis.
Immediately prior to being sentenced my family physician had become concerned over blood tests that indicated high rheumatoid arthritis counts and booked a specialist appointment for me. A CSC physician concurred and booked me an appointment in Moncton as well.
As all of these medical and legal avenues were being pursued, CSC was developing their court case. From what we have seen, their strategy was to deny me any contact with outside medical professionals so the CSC contracted physician of their choice could state in court, that as the only physician to have seen me, he was of the opinion that I would not suffer irreparable harm by not being provided with Cannabis.
I was officially denied permission to see my family physician of twelve years. When she requested permission to see me she was not refused but now close to a year later, CSC has still not provided her with the necessary clearances. They cancelled three rheumatology specialist appointments and an appointment made by one of their own doctors for me to see an orthopedic surgeon.
By doing all of this they were able to move ahead with their legal plan to have their GP contradict all of my medical history of reports and affidavits from a number of health care professionals including many physicians, specialists and therapists. The conclusion of the Judge at the emergency hearing was then able to be:
"..It is my finding that the Applicant failed to convince this Court that he will suffer irreparable harm if he is not granted access to marijuana."
My condition worsened over the ensuing months to the point that I felt further aggravation would kill me. As prisons are incubators for infectious and deadly diseases I requested Hepatitis vaccinations. As part of that protocol the prisoner is first tested. I came back as Hepatitis C positive.
Aside from surgery in 1980 I had no suspected contact with this disease other than day to day contact with infected people during my prison experience. I had no symptoms or signs of this disease prior to being incarcerated despite the extensive medical testing that I had been subjected to over the years as a result of my disability. I have solid medical opinion that I did not have this disease when sentenced to prison.
The symptoms of Hep C are headache, joint pain, loss of appetite, wasting, exhaustion and insomnia- all symptoms as well that I had developed and complained of as a result of having had my pain medication taken away. If CSC would have investigated my condition rather than scoffed at it, I may not be in this position today.
The Hep C infection rate in the general population is 0.8%. In prison it is estimated to be 50%. Any prison doctor who cannot see and suspect the symptoms of Hep C should not have a medical license.
There is a treatment for the disease but it is brutal physically, emotionally and financially. It is comparable to a straight 48 week course of chemo-therapy, is effective in 48% of cases like mine and costs $30,000.00. Unfortunately I cannot consider it because of my rheumatoid arthritis. RA positive patients cannot attempt the therapy. If CSC had allowed me to attend the specialist appointments that had been booked for me over the past year I would not be dying now. Their court position to keep therapeutic cannabis out of our prisons was more important than the life of one
prisoner.
When I was taken away from my family for growing pot I was a healthy, loving father and husband. I will be returned to them a dying physical and emotional cripple. Is medical marijuana prohibition that important to our society?
Regards,
Michael Patriquen
Continued...www.mapinc.org/temp/part2848.html
Texass Tom "Coup" DeLay *
Fascist Tom Poster
