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On Thursday, a Quebec judge called out Canada's "ridiculous" marijuana laws, noting that lawyers and others who work in the legal system are probably getting high themselves. The judge, Pierre Chevalier, then handed down a $1 fine to man who was prosecuted for owning 30 marijuana plants.
Mario Larouche, 46, suffers from pain stemming from a car accident; he was found in possession of the plants illegally after he tried unsuccessfully to get a medical marijuana prescription from his doctor. According to Le Droit, the crown counsel in his case requested he be jailed for 90 days and ordered to pay a $250 fine.
Chevalier dismissed that recommendation and said Larouche was the victim of a system that "does not give people access to a natural medicine that goes back centuries."
Characterizing current marijuana laws as "obsolete," he added that there's little doubt that crown attorneys, defense lawyers, and judges are among the 50 percent of Canadians who use weed.
"I think it's time we look much more leniently things that happen."
He also expressed approval of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's plans to legalize weed.
"We've stagnated on this in Canada because, politically, the people were probably not ready for laws to evolve to this level," he said, adding previous politicians have been too afraid of losing votes to change the laws.
Members of Quebec's Liberal government have expressed concern over legalization. Public Security Minister Lise Thériault said public safety needs to be a priority when the new laws roll out.
With taxes, Larouche was fined a grand total of $1.30.
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