On May 28, Grant Kreiger returned from Amsterdam after an unsuccesful but well-publicized attempt to openly import a small quantity of medical marijuana into Canada for personal use. Kreiger had purchased the marijuana in Holland as medicine for his multiple sclerosis, with a valid prescription from a Dutch doctor.I spoke to Grant on June 22, at the Cannabis Conference in London, Ontario, and got his story first hand. He's a regular guy with MS (Multiple Sclerosis). Diagnosed long ago as a bona fide MS sufferer, he has passed through the hoops of physical therapy and conventional medicine. Like most MS patients, he has not attained any degree of sustainable relief. Unlike so many others, Grant refuses to suffer in stoic silence and has taken it upon himself to obtain the medicine he knows will help him get along in life, even if this medicine is illegal.

He felt better, and that was that

Grant is 41 years old, born in Winnipeg. He smoked his share of joints as a teenager in the 1970s, but gave it up to be a husband and father. He raised his kids with the philosophy that "drugs are bad," but the occasional beer is OK. When Grant was diagnosed with MS many years ago he obediently danced to the tune of conventional medicine, waltzing with such partners as Lady Valium, the Dutchess of Demerol and Madame Morphine. In time even these potent drugs failed to relieve the distress of MS, and actually produced more negative side effects than they delivered comfort.

"Stress," Grant tells me, "is the number one factor in any serious illness." This comes from a man who lives the metaphor of dis-ease. So he turned to the great distractor, marijuana, God's safe and simple remedy from distress when clinical voodoo fails. Grant bought street grass from a downtown dealer for the first time in years and brought it home and smoked some. He felt relaxed and refreshed for the first time in years. He felt better, and that was that.

He had asked his family doctor in Regina to prescribe marijuana to him, but she reluctantly refused his request because cannabis is forbidden for any purpose. Grant continued to obtain his medicine of choice from pirate apothecaries, risking arrest and jail while paying top bucks for the buds of mercy.

50 grams of medical grade Dutch marijuana

Then Grant hit on the idea of travelling to Holland to obtain a prescription for medical marijuana from a legitimate Dutch doctor. This was no party or automatic lottery win. He had to provide full documentation of his medical condition, supply a letter from his physician in Canada, pay for the Dutch herb with his own money, and arrange all the necessary permits and paperwork to satisfy Dutch authorities. One does not merely wince, flash your MS card and pull up the truck. Not yet at least.

In Amsterdam, Dr van Kanten was convinced that Grant would benefit from cannabis therapy, and wrote him a legal prescription for 50 grams of medical grade marijuana (to be inhaled). It was dispensed in a sealed container. Grant paid 200 guilders plus postage to obtain this medicine from legitimate Dutch pharmaceutical sources. This works out to around $100 per ounce, or $5 for a medicinal spliff. This is slightly cheaper than a dose of legal opiate medicine available in Canada by prescription.

Positronics Corporation in Amsterdam donated about 900 grams of sensi shake (leftover leaves and bud chips from high-end recreational material) to Grant for medicinal use. There is lots of party weed to be had in Amsterdam, but this was different...this was for medicinal purposes, and was treated as such.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

While Grant was in Holland, the RCMP raided his apartment in Regina. His wife Marie was charged with possession with the intent to traffic in marijuana. They messed up his place pretty bad, even though nobody resisted.

They seized a broken Pitney Bowes postage scale, computer diskettes, a modest collection of bongs and pocket pipes, and three ounces of marijuana (Northern Lights, Hash Bush, and G-13 varieties). Grant had obtained this medicine some weeks before from out of province growers, who produced it knowing it would be dispensed to other MS patients, glaucoma sufferers, and cancer patients that Grant knew.

Grant lost some dried flowers, but his children, who were present at the raid of their home, lost forever any hope of respect for the police. They were shocked that the RCMP, who they had believed to be the protectors of the truth, had behaved so very badly by trashing their bedrooms and destroying the peace and sanctity of their home.

Join the club kids, one million Canadians have had the same sort of spontaneous interior design foisted upon them for the same reason. We understand.

On July 9, Grant has a date at Provincial Court to have his charges formally read. He will be seeking a complete discharge and will ask for all his cannabis be returned to him. If he is allowed to leave the country, Grant will return to Holland for the pot the Dutch authorities seized.

A rare prize with a valium hangover

Grant Kreiger is a prize to the international community, a rare example of the Dutch busting pot smugglers. Now they can show their neighbouring nations that they can get tough and capture a limping MS patient with a shoebox of contraband weed. The point of contention is merely that Grant did not have all the export permits in place to bring cannabis out of Holland.

How they knew he had it in advance is no mystery, as Canadian authorities surely alerted Holland to be on the lookout for him. Grant had called Ottawa before he left, telling them that he wanted to import cannabis for a medical condition his doctor knew all about, but couldn't treat legally. He was nabbed by Dutch authorities as he boarded the jet for Toronto and taken to jail.

Because he has MS, he was given valium in lock up. He slept for two days on it, and awoke to find a deportation order on his pillow. On May 28, Grant left Holland and returned to Canada, where he found that all hell had broken out in his absence. He still had a valium hangover days later.

This is life on Earth

Grant has demonstrated that he has an iron will and a spirit of steel inside his disease racked body. He will not rest until this matter is resolved in the courts. In the meantime, hundreds of other seriously ill Canadians have approached him to see if they can get some pot. They are usually non-pot users, but are curious to try out the weed of wonder they know is harmless, against the law, and brings relief.

Don't take my word for it, find out for yourself. Call Grant at 1-800-994-4367 and speak to him in person. Find out about medicinal marijuana, find out what's happening from the living souls who are doing the deed. This is no TV movie of the week, this is no cheezy drama or bad novel by Stephen King...this is life on earth.

The answering machine greets you with "Hello from HighWear Hemp... the finest hemp clothing on the planet!" For Grant and his family manufacture fine hempen duds they sell across the continent. Grant works as hard as he can to help his wife Marie run her business. Together they will sweep the path clear for others who will surely follow in their wake.