The B.C. Human Rights Tribunal has awarded $1,500 to an RCMP veteran who was kicked out of a Vancouver Island bar for rolling a joint in his lap, finding that his rights as a medical cannabis user were violated.
Because the retired Mountie uses cannabis as a prescribed treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder – a condition he suffers as a result of his policing career – the tribunal found the pub had discriminated against him on the basis of a mental disability.
"Hayes testified that upon his return inside the pub, Ms. LaForge was confrontational with him," tribunal member Sonya Pighin wrote in"She tried to explain to him how reasonable she was, that what he was doing was clearly illegal, and then she told him to get out." He argued the only other options available to him at the time would have been to roll the joint in a bathroom stall or alleyway.
Hayes' arguments went uncontested throughout the hearing, as neither LaForge nor the Port Sports Pub were allowed to present evidence – the tribunal said both failed to file a response to the retired Mountie's complaint, despite being given adequate notice. The tribunal noted LaForge's questions seemed designed to make Hayes "admit that he became aggressive, belligerent, and rude towards her upon his return inside the pub," and that was why she made him leave.
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