16/01/2008 00:00:00
Australia: Cannabis crusader brings pot to court - again
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A northern New South Wales man has fronted a Brisbane courthouse
carrying a sackful of marijuana - again.
Cannabis crusader Peter Till, 40, of Nimbin, arrived at Brisbane
Magistrates Court just before 10am with the yellow sack, containing a
large leafy plant at least a metre tall.
He was waved through a security checkpoint by several guards, who
scanned the plant through an x-ray conveyor belt at the building's entrance.
It is the second time in 12 months that the pro-cannabis campaigner has
pulled the pot plant stunt. In January last year, he was charged with
possessing a dangerous drug after trying to bring a 90cm specimen into
the same court as "evidence" in a criminal hearing.
On that occasion, security staff seized the plant and immediately called
police.
But there was no sign of the thin blue line upon his arrival this
morning, despite Till - barefoot and swathed a bright orange sarong -
walking several city blocks to reach the courthouse, where he was
greeted by waiting media.
Till, who lives in his car, insists cannabis is a harmless herb and a
legitimate form of medication, which he admits to using for pain relief.
During his last court appearance in August, Till applied for - and won -
an adjournment so he could seek treatment for a headache by using the drug.
He was due to appear in court today on charges of breaching a community
service order, but the allegations were dropped by prosecutors without
explanation this morning.
He was spoken to by police, who approached him immediately after the
five-minute hearing, before leaving court empty-handed, just before 11am.
He refused to speak to journalists, but his legal representative said
Till had been charged with one count of possessing a dangerous drug.
He has been ordered to reappear in court next month.
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/
Source:
http://www.ukcia.org/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=13159
Author:
Brisbane Times via UKCIA
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