WHEELCHAIR-BOUND MAN CLAIMS CANNABIS EXEMPTION

A wheelchair-bound man caught growing cannabis is claiming his submission to
a parliamentary committee in 1998 on the drug's medicinal uses should exempt
him from prosecution.

Christchurch District Court was told yesterday that police raided the home
of Neville John Yates, 43, on May 29 and found nine plants growing under
lights and about 400g of cannabis.

Yates admitted the cannabis was his and said he used it for medicinal
purposes to deal with the legacy of an accident in his youth which left him
with an amputated limb and head injuries.

Five years ago Yates made a submission to a select committee hearing on the
issue of medicinal cannabis use. At the hearing, police made an undertaking
not to prosecute those who publicly addressed the legal status of cannabis.

In court, Yates called for the charges of possession and cultivating
cannabis to be dropped. "I find cannabis to be the best for relieving and
alleviating the pain and suffering," he said. "I've only ever claimed to use
it for medicinal purposes."

Mild Greens activist Blair Anderson, representing Yates in court as an
untrained advocate, supported his claim of using cannabis medicinally. A
conviction on the charges could prevent Yates taking part in a research
project on the therapeutic uses of cannabis.

"I have to acknowledge the letter of the law and I know that Neville is very
aware that his consumption is against the law but he's kept his head down
and avoided criminal association," Mr Anderson said.

Justice of the Peace Merelyn Redstone committed Yates to trial, saying her
role was to assess whether there was sufficient evidence to take a case to
trial and not to assess the medicinal use of cannabis.