Toronto prof demands ventilated room for pot

Says medical condition requires the drug

A Toronto professor is refusing to step foot on York University's campus until the school accommodates his need for medically-sanctioned marijuana.

Brian MacLean said Health Canada has authorized him to use pot for an undisclosed illness. But he said there's nowhere on campus where he can smoke it.

MacLean said he needs to medicate many times throughout the day and that he can't not smoke marijuana while he's at work. He said he wants York to create a ventilated room for him, similar to the one the University of Toronto created for a professor who also smokes medical marijuana.

Until his need is accommodated, MacLean is holding all of his policing classes off-campus.

MacLean has tried to hide the fact he's smoking marijuana by rolling the joints to look like regular cigarettes and walking to the far edges of the campus to smoke.

But he's afraid passersby and students who smell it on him in class are passing judgment on him.

MacLean said he submitted the Health Canada paperwork to university administrators two months ago, but so far the university hasn't done anything.

University spokesman Alex Bilyk said the issue had been brought up with the labour relations office and they are now working with the union to work out accommodation.

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