Hash
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The owner of the Cannabis Café in Saint John has been found guilty of drug trafficking.
Lynn Wood had based her defence on the idea that her café was a compassion club, selling marijuana only for medical purposes.
But in a written decision, Judge Murray Cain said the argument was a sham.
He said the Cannabis Café didn't even live up to the guidelines that compassion clubs set for themselves.
For example, the trial heard evidence that it sold marijuana to almost anyone, including a 15-year-old high school student.
It also held a raffle on a bong to mark the end of classes.
The defence had argued that the café functioned as a compassion club because it only sold to members.
Those members were required to produce a doctor's certificate or swear an oath that they had a legitimate medical condition.
The court heard from several people with medical problems who said the quality of their lives had been vastly improved by smoking marijuana from the café.
Wood's defence lawyer, Richard Northrup, gave this reaction to the verdict:
"Is the client disappointed? Of course, they're disappointed. What would you expect them to be," Northrup said. "But what I have to do is look at the judgment and see what the client wants to do."
Wood will be sentenced on May 12.
The Cannabis Cafe says it has not sold marijuana since the June bust, though it remains open.
Source: CBC New Brunswick
Contact: https://nb.cbc.ca/contact.jsp
Website: https://www.cbc.ca/
Lynn Wood had based her defence on the idea that her café was a compassion club, selling marijuana only for medical purposes.
But in a written decision, Judge Murray Cain said the argument was a sham.
He said the Cannabis Café didn't even live up to the guidelines that compassion clubs set for themselves.
For example, the trial heard evidence that it sold marijuana to almost anyone, including a 15-year-old high school student.
It also held a raffle on a bong to mark the end of classes.
The defence had argued that the café functioned as a compassion club because it only sold to members.
Those members were required to produce a doctor's certificate or swear an oath that they had a legitimate medical condition.
The court heard from several people with medical problems who said the quality of their lives had been vastly improved by smoking marijuana from the café.
Wood's defence lawyer, Richard Northrup, gave this reaction to the verdict:
"Is the client disappointed? Of course, they're disappointed. What would you expect them to be," Northrup said. "But what I have to do is look at the judgment and see what the client wants to do."
Wood will be sentenced on May 12.
The Cannabis Cafe says it has not sold marijuana since the June bust, though it remains open.
Source: CBC New Brunswick
Contact: https://nb.cbc.ca/contact.jsp
Website: https://www.cbc.ca/
