Jim Wakeford
Encyclopedia
Jim Wakeford is a well-known medical marijuana advocate based in Toronto
, Canada
. In 1989 Wakeford was diagnosed with the HIV virus. The medicines used to treat his illness made him nauseous and inhibited his appetite. Wakeford credits marijuana with helping treat the side effects of the medications used to keep him alive. Wakeford and his lawyer Alan Young
challenged the Ontario Court's General Division
for denying him, and other medical marijuana users, the right to use the drug. The Harvard
paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould
assisted Wakeford by testifying in the case, arguing that the illicit substance proved invaluable in treating the side effects of his cancer treatments. On September 7, 1998 Wakeford's suit against the government was dismissed. The judge ruled it was up to Parliament
to overturn the law. In May 1999 the courts ruled that Wakeford could smoke and grow his own marijuana.
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In 1989 Wakeford was diagnosed with the HIV virus. The medicines used to treat his illness made him nauseous and inhibited his appetite. Wakeford credits marijuana with helping treat the side effects of the medications used to keep him alive. Wakeford and his lawyer Alan Young
Alan Young (lawyer)
Alan N. Young is an associate professor of law at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Young is the co-founder and director of Osgoode's Innocence Project, which seeks to investigate overturn cases of wrongful conviction....
challenged the Ontario Court's General Division
Ontario Superior Court of Justice
The Superior Court of Justice is the superior court of general jurisdiction for the Province of Ontario, Canada. It is the successor to the former Ontario Court of Justice , and was created on April 19, 1999...
for denying him, and other medical marijuana users, the right to use the drug. The Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould
Stephen Jay Gould
Stephen Jay Gould was an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. He was also one of the most influential and widely read writers of popular science of his generation....
assisted Wakeford by testifying in the case, arguing that the illicit substance proved invaluable in treating the side effects of his cancer treatments. On September 7, 1998 Wakeford's suit against the government was dismissed. The judge ruled it was up to Parliament
Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...
to overturn the law. In May 1999 the courts ruled that Wakeford could smoke and grow his own marijuana.