cannabisnews.com: Shame on Canada, Pot Protestors Say










  Shame on Canada, Pot Protestors Say

Posted by CN Staff on August 02, 2005 at 06:37:02 PT
By Isabel Teotonio, Staff Reporter 
Source: Toronto Star 

Canada should be ashamed for arresting a prominent Canadian marijuana rights activist on charges of violating American drug laws, marijuana advocates said here yesterday after demonstrating against the arrest.B.C. Marijuana Party leader Marc Emery, who sells marijuana seeds over the Internet, was arrested by RCMP in Nova Scotia Friday on a warrant issued by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Although selling marijuana seeds is legal in Canada, it's a violation of U.S. law."Ottawa should be ashamed ... for selling off Canadians to keep good relations with Uncle Sam," Jessica Aulthouse said yesterday outside the U.S. Consulate General on University Ave., where 30 people gathered to protest the arrest of Emery and two of his colleagues."I want the Canadian government to make decisions based on what people here want and not what foreign heads want," said Aulthouse, who travelled to Toronto from Niagara Region.The surprise arrests were authorized by the B.C. Supreme Court under the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Act.The three now face extradition and, if convicted, punitive sentences ranging from 10 years to life in prison.Emery, 47, Michelle Rainey-Fenkarek, 34, financial agent for the party and Greg Williams, 50, an employee of Pot-TV, all face U.S. charges of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana, distribute seeds and engage in money laundering. The arrests came after the trio was indicted by a U.S. federal grand jury in May following an 18-month investigation by American police into the sale of marijuana seeds on the Internet and by mail.At a similar pro-Emery rally in Vancouver Saturday, some 200, including visiting Americans, protested the arrests.Canadian officials have a long history of trying to dethrone Emery, who's been dubbed the Canadian Prince of Pot because he's among the world's biggest dealers in marijuana seeds. While he's been convicted of various drug-related charges since 1994, when he opened a store in Vancouver that now sells marijuana paraphernalia, he's only ever been sentenced once. Last year, he was slapped with three months in jail for passing a joint at a pot rally in Saskatoon.Emery has long insisted on selling seeds because they don't contain enough THC, the mood-altering ingredient in marijuana, to qualify as a banned substance. But since he stopped selling them over the counter and started selling them in cyberspace, Canadian authorities have for the most part left him alone. Currently, his seed-selling business is booming, Rod Benson, the special agent in charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, told reporters in Seattle on Friday. It sells about $3 million worth of seeds each year, mostly to the U.S. `I see this as part and parcel of a very great push by the U.S ... to invade us with their will' -- Connie Fogal, Canadian Action PartyUnlike here, authorities south of the border believe that selling marijuana seeds is the same as selling marijuana.Rainey-Fenkarek and Williams were arrested in Vancouver. As city police were raiding his pot paraphernalia store, Emery was arrested in Lawrencetown, N.S., where he'd been scheduled to speak at a music festival that raises money for the group Maritimers Unite for Medical Marijuana.Rainey-Fenkarek was released on $25,000 bail Friday, but both Williams and Emery spent the weekend in custody. Both men are to appear in a Vancouver court today for a bail hearing. Calls to Justice Minister Irwin Cotler's office yesterday were not returned. However, many have called the arrests a flagrant display of American bullying."The ability (for Americans) to come into our country and ask for our help to take (Emery) away so they can punish him for their kinds of laws is immoral, " said Connie Fogal, leader of the Canadian Action Party, which promotes Canadian nationalism."It's not just their approach to marijuana. I see this as part and parcel of a very great push by the U.S., not to just exercise its clout, but to invade us with their will. They don't have to use guns, tanks and missiles, because they've got political wimps here who bow down to them," said Fogal, who's also a lawyer in Vancouver.Her comments were loudly echoed yesterday by protestors outside the U.S. consulate on University Ave."Today's a big day, not just for the marijuana movement but for all Canadians," said Alison Myrden, sitting in a wheelchair and holding a sign that read, "Marc Emery Saved my Life," as she took drags from a marijuana joint. "Marc is a legitimate businessman, he's always been above board," said Myrden.She added that Emery has often sent her money so she could afford to buy marijuana to ease the pain brought on by by 28 years of living with multiple sclerosis.Protest organizer Matt Mernagh, a medicinal user of marijuana, called Emery's arrest a "gross insult to Canadian sovereignty."But "it's an excellent opportunity to get rid of someone who's a pain in their ass — they can't get him in Canada so they'll send him to the U.S.," Mernagh said."The government has washed their hands of this."Note: Trio of Canadians violate U.S. law by selling seeds. Surprise arrests authorized by B.C. Supreme Court.with files from Canadian PressNewshawk: Afterburner Source: Toronto Star (CN ON)Author: Isabel Teotonio, Staff ReporterPublished: August 02, 2005Copyright: 2005 The Toronto Star Contact: lettertoed thestar.com Website: http://www.thestar.com/ Related Articles:Pot Activist Facing Extradition To U.S.http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21002.shtmlCanada's Prince of Pot Nabbed for U.S. Seed Saleshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21003.shtml

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Comment #81 posted by afterburner on August 04, 2005 at 10:14:00 PT
Good point, Hope.
Good point, Hope. Since the Constitutionality of State medical cannabis laws has not yet been challenged, medical cannabis *IS* legal in those States, unConstitutional federal hedgemony and Gonzales v. Raich not withstanding. Remember, all reading this, States are Sovereign in the USA. They have their own State Constitutions and the Constitutional protections that go with them! I have long maintained that under NAFTA any sovereign Nation or State has a legal right to commerce in legal commodities, like State-sanctioned or Canadian federal government-sanctioned medical cannabis. Since seeds and flowering tops are sold in Canada by federal Health Canada to registered patients, medical cannabis seeds and flowering tops are *NOT* illegal in Canada, nor are they illegal in any State with a viable medical cannabis law. Under NAFTA, international trade in legal commodities obligates the signatories, USA, Canada and Mexico, to alow trade, to promote trade, to remove barriers to trade.Furthermore, cannabis was stuck from the Canadian criminal code by the Ontario Court of Appeal and by the British Columbia Court of Appeal. To date Parliament has not reenacted the law by passing new legislation as required by the Canadian legal code. Any people arrested since the original Ontario Court of Appeals ruling have had their charges stayed. Even those charged since the Ontario Court of Appeals illegally "resurrected" a dead law, which they have no legal authority to do, have had their charges stayed *if they challenged in court the legality of the law*. Michelle Kubby raised these points in her BC Supreme Court trial, and the judge sidestepped her challenges and refused to address them. Many Canadian cannabis activists, who seem to know more about the law than the federal govenment does, contend that there is currently *no law against cannabis in Canada*.Bill C-17, Paul Martin's cannabis reform monstrosity should be rejected by the NDP, unless the *Liberal* party agrees to *liberal* reforms. The Liberal government would not be able to pass this bill, which is highly-flawed and dangerous to the cannabis community, without NDP support over the prohibitionist opposition of the Conservatives and the Bloc.Bill C-17
http://tinyurl.com/bnw3t
Bill C-17
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Comment #80 posted by Hope on August 04, 2005 at 09:55:34 PT
Indica? Sativa? A hybrid?
I'm sure there are many people with many questions and after research, they have to realize that there are all sorts of possibilities and if you are going to put a lot of effort and expense into a project that starts with a seed, it would seem that having a seed of known qualities and expectations would be something someone would like to do, if they could. Marc Emery's seed site made it possible to know what you were getting and possibly saving a lot of time and money. I haven't looked at it in years, but I did scan through it years ago. It was way over my head and of course, I didn't order anything, but I might have, if I had been in possession of a medical exemption. I can easily see why patients or caregivers here might have chosen to try his seeds instead of someone's (if they happened to even know someone who might have them to share)leftover seeds of undeterminable origin.
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Comment #79 posted by Hope on August 04, 2005 at 09:46:47 PT
FoM
I'm sure there are many people, who, when they are granted a state exemption, would look on the internet for a determinable source of seed to invest in their growing effort.It shouldn't be assumed, I would think, that everyone who wanted to try marijuana for their health's sake, knew someone with a handful of perfectly wonderful, viable seeds of known quality, origin, and species.
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Comment #78 posted by FoM on August 04, 2005 at 08:54:57 PT
Hope
I have a question. Why would mmj patients need to get seeds from out of our country? This whole seed thing is something I never understood. Just a simple question. What makes seeds from up north any better then anywhere else? See I really don't follow this.
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Comment #77 posted by Hope on August 04, 2005 at 08:46:32 PT
What about for sick people in medical states?
"But Emery knowingly broke U.S. laws if, as U.S. authorities allege, he sold seeds across the border."Marc knew that it was "legal" for some people in the United States to grow marijuana. The Feds don't like it...but those are laws, too, and they make it legal to a degree for some people to possess and grow those seeds, right here in the land of the not so free.
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Comment #76 posted by Hope on August 04, 2005 at 08:40:00 PT
 magnanimity
I wasn't fully alert when I chose that word. The thought I was having was like a dark drawing in my imagination. From a point behind him in this large concrete, bunker like cavern, I was seeing Marc’s back...in his suit...jacket open, erect but relaxed, sitting in a chair. He's facing, quietly, a large wall with a ledge and room wide window, apparently open into more grayness and darkness. Suddenly, like in that old Rambo movie, I think, was the first time I ever saw the technique used so dramatically...with the Russian helicopter rising over the near horizon, ten feet or so in front of Marc, a round top helmet starts to rise above the ledge he is facing…and continues to rise until a scary, sneering, snarling, swarthy face, eyes sparkling with schadenfreude, under the helmet gradually shows itself.  Only this head is 20 ft tall and the shoulders fill the entire width of the window…no neck.I was thinking he might not have foreseen the magnitude of that.Probably, in my own fear…the desire for “magnanimity” somewhere…somehow…was so strong that it came out in the old “Freudian slip”.I doubt there will be much “magnanimity” from anyone involved.And then, it could have been, the wrong word came to mind because of the Levaquin confusion.
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Comment #75 posted by FoM on August 04, 2005 at 08:14:21 PT

Related Article from The Toronto Star
Editorial: Time To Clear The AirAugust 4, 2005Marc Emery is reaping what he sowed. The B.C. marijuana activist allegedly does a booming business selling pot seeds over the Internet to Canadians and Americans alike.For the most part, Canadian police have turned a blind eye to his activities. But last week, they arrested Emery at the request of authorities in the United States, where he faces charges of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana, distribute seeds and engage in money laundering.If extradited and convicted, Emery could spend between 10 years and life in a U.S. prison. Emery's supporters paint him as a modern-day Robin Hood who sells pot seeds to the sick and uses the proceeds for his pro-marijuana political activities. They profess to be aghast that Canadian police would allow themselves to become stooges for draconian U.S. drug policies. But Emery knowingly broke U.S. laws if, as U.S. authorities allege, he sold seeds across the border. Canadian police may have been content to ignore any violation of our own prohibition against selling marijuana seeds, which is rarely enforced. Emery knew the U.S., which takes a much dimmer view of marijuana, was bound to catch up with him. Under a mutual-assistance treaty, Canadian authorities are legally obliged to co-operate. A troubling question remains, however: Should Emery be sent to the U.S. to face potentially harsh penalties for an offence Canadian authorities rarely prosecute? Canadian ambivalence toward marijuana puts justice officials in an uncomfortable spot. On the one hand, police often call for tougher pot laws to stem the proliferation of grow ops. At the same time, Parliament sporadically signals its intention to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, prompting police to relax enforcement of minor offences.The best course may be to dust off our own law and prosecute Emery in Canada. Such a move would put to rest the inevitable charges of hypocrisy that would be levelled were Emery to be extradited to the U.S. In the meantime, the case should be a wake-up call to Parliament and law-enforcement officials that they no longer can send mixed signals on marijuana laws.
 

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Comment #74 posted by afterburner on August 03, 2005 at 11:29:24 PT

FoM and All my Good Sisters and Brothers 
All I've seen so far on CNN is a one-sentence scroller. So much for "the most trusted name in news" [sic]. BTW, CNN dubbed Marc "the prince of pot" back in the 1990's, and now the DEA lists "the prince of pot" as an *alias* as if Marc was hiding and being intentionally deceptive. He is a businessman constantly in the public eye. To call "the prince of pot" an alias is yet another perversion of America "justice."The DEA held a press conference to give their side of the arrest issue. The darn real player file would just not get to the end. I finally got tired of looking at the smug face of Jeff Sullivan and listening to him repeat his vile accusations over and over. I was too tired to continue last night. Now, I am listening to it in the background while I type this post, whenever it feels like filling the buffer and actually playing the darn thing.Friday, July 29, 2005:
US DEA press conference on today's arrest of Marc Emery, leader of the B.C. Marijuana Party, and his business in Vancouver. --Global National with Kevin Newman Global Video canada.com network http://www.canada.com/toronto/video/GN050729dea.htmlNeil Young's song, "Comes A Time," has some words that apply to Marc's business: "We were right. We were giving. That's how we kept what we gave away."We cannot allow the corporate-controlled media to dictate the coverage of this debate. We must be active with LTE's, letters, faxes, and email to government officials in both the USA and Canada, protest marches and picketing, donations to Marc Emery Defense Fund, financial support for NORML, MPP, DPA if you can afford it, and light up the Internet like the proverbial Christmas tree.
Neil Young Comes A Time lyrics
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Comment #73 posted by FoM on August 03, 2005 at 10:40:50 PT

afterburner 
I hope this whole thing brings attention to the laws but I haven't seen anything about it on the TV News down here. Now that Direct TV subscribers don't even get News World International and this right wing program ( Current TV )  has it now how will Americans know? Maybe I missed something being said but it's just not being made an issue with everything else going on.
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Comment #72 posted by afterburner on August 03, 2005 at 10:29:23 PT

RE Comments #55, 66, Hope
"The JBTs are enjoying horrifying him.
He may not have foreseen the magnanimity of that."magnanimity = nobility, generosity of spirit, high-mindedness, fairnessJBTs: noble, generous, high-minded, fair?opposite of magnanimity = pettiness (Antonym)JBTs: petty? Yes, indeed!Yes, Hope, “the magnitude of that.” is so much better.magnitude = scale, size, extent, degree, amount, enormity, level And, speaking of magnitude. Marc's actions or alleged actions raise the international cannabis debate and stakes to a whole new "level." The "size" of the problem and the "scale" of the solution are "enormous," being played out on the international stage where the USA prohibitionists have insisted on placing the cannabis debate by authoring and bullying UN treaties. "The whole world is watching" again as it was during the police riots at the Democratic National Convention and counter-protests so many years ago. And Marc has admittedly partaken mind-expanding plants. If the symbiosis argument holds any weigh or if you believe in the use of cannabis for spiritual discovery, then Marc is being led by his "higher self" into the new frontier for the future blessings of humanity. In the game of consciousness Marc is a master, not a pawn!
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Comment #71 posted by FoM on August 03, 2005 at 09:16:56 PT

It's Always The Darkest Just Before Dawn
Yes you're right Hope.
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Comment #70 posted by Hope on August 03, 2005 at 09:13:47 PT

"This is insanity."
Yeah. I guess it's sometimes like things are there at your house right now. Sometimes, thinkg have got to be torn up, and stirred up, and shuffled around and messes made to make things better in the long run.The less injury and mishap along the way, the better, though.
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Comment #69 posted by FoM on August 03, 2005 at 09:08:31 PT

Hope
It will turn out ok I agree but it will take time. It's time now for NORML, MPP and the Drug Policy Alliance to push for change. This is insanity.
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Comment #68 posted by Hope on August 03, 2005 at 09:03:57 PT

I have hope that it's going to turn out alright.
A lot of people are suffering right now because of it all, but I do have a strong sense of confidence that it will all turn out ok in the long run.
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Comment #67 posted by FoM on August 03, 2005 at 08:55:11 PT

Hope
This whole Emery issue has me so upset. I wish it hadn't happened. I hope MPP and NORML make some sort of statement about it soon. 
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Comment #66 posted by Hope on August 03, 2005 at 08:51:26 PT

Comment 55
A better choice of word than "magnanimity" would have been "magnitude".I doubt he saw any "magnanimity" in them other than phony magnanimity used in the good cop bad cop game.

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Comment #65 posted by FoM on August 03, 2005 at 08:40:34 PT

Hope 
Thanks Hope. I couldn't answer the question that I got in an email but now he will know.
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Comment #64 posted by Hope on August 03, 2005 at 08:37:29 PT

JBT
In the immortal words of Mr. St. Pierre of the NRA, "Jack booted thugs."
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Comment #63 posted by FoM on August 03, 2005 at 08:10:56 PT

Hope
I was asked a question in my email. What is a JBT?
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Comment #62 posted by FoM on August 03, 2005 at 08:09:23 PT

Hope
I know what you mean.
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Comment #61 posted by Hope on August 03, 2005 at 08:03:16 PT

I understand...I'm different than he, too.
I don't like to get in trouble. I never liked to get in trouble. That's just the way I am. Because I do speak out publicly...I feel that I, in fact, have to shun the beneficial, to many, herb. The opposite of what most conscientious objectors want to do.

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Comment #60 posted by FoM on August 03, 2005 at 07:35:51 PT

Hope
I am not a person who is an Emery follower. Maybe it is because I am older ( ten years older then Emery ) and was raised in a Christian enviornment and don't know what to think when somethings seems way out of my comfort zone. I wish him the best though. I don't think it is right that this is happening but I understand not pushing the government to a breaking point. I want to see the laws changed and then seeds will be a non issue.
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Comment #59 posted by Hope on August 03, 2005 at 07:30:16 PT

"...payments on his Ford Thunderbird."
This indicative...I hope...that Marc may not have a lot of "tangible goods" for them to reap off him.
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Comment #58 posted by Hope on August 03, 2005 at 07:25:13 PT

Oh my gosh...Jose
You didn't say that!

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Comment #57 posted by Hope on August 03, 2005 at 07:22:46 PT

A world without bullies...
What would that be like?
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Comment #56 posted by jose melendez on August 03, 2005 at 07:21:26 PT

that was strange, Hope
Where in the world did you get that picture of Alan Keyes?(grin)Back on topic:from: http://www.canadafreepress.com/2005/media080205.htmGlobe and Mail sympathizes with the "Prince of Pot"
by Arthur Weinreb, Associate Editor,
Tuesday, August 2, 2005Under the guise of a news article, the Globe and Mail published an article by Peter Kennedy entitled, "Pot activist is scared his fiancée says". The article dealt with the arrest last Friday of the head of the B.C. Marijuana Party, Marc Emery. Emery was arrested in Halifax last week at the request of U.S. authorities, a request that was signed by a justice of the B.C. Supreme Court. The 47-year-old activist has been indicted by an American grand jury on charges of conspiracy to distribute marijuana and conspiracy to engage in money laundering. These allegations stem from Emery’s operation of an Internet business, Emery Seeds, which sold and distributed marijuana seeds.The Globe and Mail wasted no time in showing its sympathies towards "The Prince of Pot". The reporter interviewed Emery’s fiancée who said that she was "terrified" and Emery was "scared". In an attempt to obtain sympathy for the alleged drug distributor, the Globe piece used such phrases as "the couple’s [Emery and his fiancée] lives have been turned upside down" and reported the heartbreaking news that "he [Emery] will no longer be able to afford to leave payments on his Ford Thunderbird…"The only person interviewed for the article besides Cheryl Redick, Emery’s fiancée, was Neil Boyd, a criminologist at Simon Fraser University. According to Boyd this is all the fault of the United States, which is simply out of step with Canada and Europe when it comes to acceptance of marijuana. Boyd classified the U.S. request for extradition as "a breach of our sovereignty".No interviews were done with U.S. or Canadian drug authorities, nor was the position of the Americans as to why they want Emery extradited to face charges put forward.This was nothing more than an anti-U.S., pro marijuana editorial that purported to be a hard news story. - More writings from this propagandist, for perspective:http://tinyurl.com/9lvfm - - -A lesson on wasting no time:from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/50664.stmThe life and death of Mahatma GandhiMohandas Karamchand Gandhi: 1869 - 1948The name "mahatma" means "great soul", and his philosophy of peaceful resistance is widely credited with having forced the peaceful end of British rule of India in 1947, the year before his death.He was born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on October 2, 1869, into a family of merchants.Breaking with caste tradition, he went to England to study law when he was 19.His fellow students shunned him because he was an Indian.It was in London that he read Henry David Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience", which inspired his principle of non-violence.He returned to India in 1891. But two years later he left again, this time for South Africa where he was to stay for 20 years. He was the country's first "coloured" lawyer to be admitted to the bar.Deeply troubled by the country's racism towards Indians, he founded the Natal Indian Congress to agitate for Indian rights in 1894.There he also developed his politics of peaceful protests. In 1906, he announced he would go to jail or even die before obeying an anti-Asian law. Thousands of Indians joined him in this civil disobedience campaign, and he was twice imprisoned.Back in IndiaHe returned to India in 1914, and began campaigning for home rule and the reconciliation of all classes and religious groups.In 1919 he became a leader in the newly-formed Indian National Congress party. The following year Gandhi launched a campaign of non-cooperation with the British authorities, urging Indians to boycott British courts and government, and spin their own fabrics to replace British goods.This led to his imprisonment from 1922-1924.By 1930 M.K. Gandhi had a mass following. To protest against the British salt monopoly and the salt tax, he led thousands of Indians on a 200 mile (320km) march to the Indian ocean to make their own salt. Again, he was jailed.Gandhi had become convinced that India could never be truly free as long as it remained part of the British Empire.At the beginning of the Second World War he demanded independence as India's price for helping Britain during the war.Independence and partitionIndia finally won independence in 1947.But for Mahatma Gandhi, triumph was tempered with disappointment over the violent partitioning of the country into India and Pakistan.Nearly one million people died in the riots that ensued between Hindus and Muslims.Mahatma Gandhi had always been against the partition. The year before he had said, "Before partitioning India, my body will have to be cut into two pieces."But the alternative to partition was thought to be civil war between Hindus and Muslims, and so at the last minute Gandhi urged the Congress Party to accept partition.When he saw the extent of the bloodshed, Mahatma Gandhi again turned to non-violent protest. He went on a hunger strike, saying he would not eat until the violence stopped and India gave back the 550 m rupees (about £40m) that it was holding from Pakistan.But his efforts to achieve reconciliation between Hindus and Muslims eventually brought him death. He was assassinated by a fellow Hindu, Nathuram Godse, who felt that Gandhi had betrayed the Hindu cause.Mahatma Gandhi, aged 78, was on the way to a prayer meeting, when he was shot three times in the chest and died on January 30, 1948. 
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Comment #55 posted by Hope on August 03, 2005 at 07:20:43 PT

The JBTs are enjoying horrifying him.
He may not have foreseen the magnanimity of that.
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Comment #54 posted by Hope on August 03, 2005 at 07:18:02 PT

It is dangerous.
Whether or not he is a "martyr" or "Christ like figure".... I don't know. He's not to me. I do know that he has definitely earned his name in large print in the history of the fight against unnecessary persecution of the people who enjoy the cannabis plant.
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Comment #53 posted by FoM on August 03, 2005 at 06:58:58 PT

Hope
I think Marc Emery knew that this could happen. How could he not know? Fighting to change bad laws is fine but doing something totally illegal at least in the states is very dangerous in my opinion. 
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Comment #52 posted by Hope on August 03, 2005 at 06:49:40 PT

Marc
I'm very worried for him and naturally...I have to convert worry to prayer. 
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Comment #51 posted by Hope on August 03, 2005 at 06:48:10 PT

Besides
Christians aren't supposed to seperate themselves from other people who are not Christians.
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Comment #50 posted by FoM on August 03, 2005 at 06:48:08 PT

Hope
You are very welcome. I haven't been able to go outside with all the chaos going on. The cement truck and a number of workers are out there and I am staying out of their way. Hopefully I will be able to hug the horse. If not maybe I should go to a petting zoo and at least hug a pony! LOL!PS: I am setting up an article from the Globe and Mail and it isn't favorable to Marc Emery. I'm afraid that Emery pushed this whole thing way too far. I guess in time we will see. 
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Comment #49 posted by Hope on August 03, 2005 at 06:46:33 PT

I think
there is no real "Christian nation"...anywhere...as of yet.
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Comment #48 posted by Hope on August 03, 2005 at 06:45:00 PT

"...wonderful Christian nation we live in"
It's for sure the world doesn't see us as a gentle righteous people. 
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Comment #47 posted by Hope on August 03, 2005 at 06:30:24 PT

Thank you
Much appreciated.Did you get to visit with the Amish workman's horse this morning?
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Comment #46 posted by FoM on August 03, 2005 at 06:15:55 PT

Hope
No problem. I removed them. 
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Comment #40 posted by OverwhelmSam on August 03, 2005 at 05:24:12 PT

Canadian Officials Are Such Cowards
It seems that the Canadian Government is in Uncle Sams back pocket. I seen a picture on Cannabis Culture of an Uncle Sam figure manipulating Canada like a puppet. This representation is pretty acurate based on their actions.The DEA (Degenerate Egotistical Assasins) went after Marc because they were pissed about him protecting Steve Kubby and others. Revenge, pure and simple. What a wonderful Christian nation we live in.
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Comment #39 posted by jose melendez on August 03, 2005 at 05:05:26 PT

skidding off the runway

"For years, Emery has portrayed himself as a marijuana martyr.These new U.S. charges merely raise the consequences of him doing so to a whole new level."http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovince/news/editorial/story.html?id=4aa1e41d-f48f-4cae-a589-b20b32073437 - - -"the corruption is rampant" "they are waiting to see if public opinion will stabilize" Iraq Blogger and Democracy Activist Leonard Clarkhttp://censoredsoldiers.blogspot.com/2005/07/leonardclarkcom.htmlpublic http://blog.pdamerica.org/ opinionhttp://spidel.net/PHP-Nuke/ 

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Comment #38 posted by afterburner on August 03, 2005 at 05:00:32 PT

The Fat Is in the Fire
Vive le Canada - Loss of Canadian Sovereignty OP-Ed
Contributed by: whelan costenLoss of Canadian Sovereignty : US Interference in Canadian Criminal Law and Canadian Policy 
in the arrest of Marc Emery, advocate for Legalization of Marijuana by Connie Fogal, Leader Canadian Action Party...July 31, 2005 http://www.vivelecanada.ca/article.php/20050731224537889
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Comment #37 posted by jose melendez on August 02, 2005 at 19:59:31 PT

shame on USDOJ
from: http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/waw/press_room/2005/jul/emery.htm"The tentacles of the Mark Emery criminal enterprise reached out across North America to include all 50 United States and Canada," said Special Agent in Charge Rodney G. Benson of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). "Mr. Emery utilized the internet to sell his marijuana seeds throughout this country to customers no matter their age. He directed his business with efficiency, was motivated by greed, and will now be prosecuted for this illegal activity."EMERY is a well known figure in Canada as publisher of Cannabis Culture magazine, and as a leader of the BC Marijuana Party. The charges filed today are not related to those activities but are the result of an extensive undercover investigation. EMERY sold large amounts of seeds both by mail and in person to undercover DEA agents.An indictment contains allegations that have not yet been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.The case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), United States Postal Inspection Service and the Vancouver Police Department (VPD). Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg is prosecuting the case.For additional information please contact Emily Langlie, Public Affairs Officer for the United States Attorney's Office, Western District of Washington at (206) 553-4110. - Ahem. Got phones?
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Comment #36 posted by BGreen on August 02, 2005 at 19:41:42 PT

The Breeders' Work Is Already DONE!
These new strains that were developed for indoor use and sold in seed form by vendors like Marc Emery are here forever, and there's not a damn thing any government can do about it.Now, anybody can take stable so-called "Breeder Strains" such as Haze, Northern Lights, Skunk #1, etc., have the male and female plants do a little freaky pollination session, and voila ... thousands of little cannabis zygotes ready to sacrifice themselves for the health and welfare of humankind.Show me any man-made "drug," legal or illegal, that comes with its own natural remanufacturing "lab" built in. LOLThe Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #35 posted by FoM on August 02, 2005 at 19:33:59 PT

Hempcanadian 
It's really good to see you here on CNews. This whole situation has been very hard on everyone. I wonder if they have made bail yet. Is that amount of bail excessive in Canada? I don't honestly know.
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Comment #34 posted by Hempcanadian on August 02, 2005 at 19:05:42 PT

Has this gotten much publicity in Canada?
There has been some TV coverage and most newspapers have
an article or two.But not the outrage or show of disgust that should be directed towards the Canadian justice system
for allowing this to happen.
Pot-TV has lots of good stuff and Cannabis culture has some articles too.
More to come I hope!
This event will either make us the 51st state or will set
our own course on Cannabis reform.
We shall see!
P.S. I finally found my logon info again-memory sucks!
No not from pot-but inhalants as an ignorant youth!

Hemp Canadian
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Comment #33 posted by jose melendez on August 02, 2005 at 19:02:13 PT

Re: comments#2, 3
Drug Court Chief Gets the Joint for Domestic Violencehttp://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1226/a06.html
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Comment #32 posted by charmed quark on August 02, 2005 at 17:11:06 PT

Has this gotten much publicity in Canada?
Have the papers and TV done high-visibility articles on his arrest? I suspect that the average Canadian would be outraged if they knew about this.
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Comment #31 posted by mayan on August 02, 2005 at 17:06:28 PT

Sam
Thanks for the info on Yes. I've seen them many times and they are among the best live bands ever. Keeping a progressive rock band out of the U.S. is pretty telling. There will be no progress under the neo-cons.http://www.yesworld.com/
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Comment #30 posted by stoner spirit on August 02, 2005 at 16:51:56 PT:

The mottern virsion of the Roman Impire
I pray to the Gods that Rome will fall someday, even though I live there.
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Comment #29 posted by Max Flowers on August 02, 2005 at 16:24:29 PT

O Canada, you must expel the interlopers
I think it's not at all necessarily a given that DEA will prevail here. Already, a Canadian magistrate has granted bail while you know damn well the DEA was pleading with them not to. That sends a big signal already. I think that as the Canadian polls start to roll in showing that Canadians generally don't want their sovereignty insulted by America, the tide will turn and this could end up blowing up in the DEA's face, regardless how much certain Canadian authorities may dislike Emery. The bottom line is that Emery is 100% Canadian, and I think Canadians understand that and will respond appropriately.This is Canada's golden opportunity to show some autonomy and establish itself more firmly as being independent of the US. God I hope they take it.
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Comment #28 posted by Sam Adams on August 02, 2005 at 14:01:10 PT

Emery
If I was Marc Emery, I'd probably hang around for a few months, but if my lawyer said it looked bad, I would go up and bro-down with the Inuits in Nunavit. Let's see the DEA extradite out of THERE! I believe Canada granted them their own sovereignity.It's interesting, Emery is the rare person who is always willing to put his money where his mouth is - to risk his own personal butt time & time again, standing up for what's right. Now, he's unwittingly joined the other refugees from the US who are fighting extradition. It's going to be a long legal battle, but how great would it be if he won? 
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Comment #27 posted by E_Johnson on August 02, 2005 at 13:23:23 PT

dongenero I think you're on to something
Marijuana seeds are useless to marijuana users unless they have the brains and guts and resources to plant them and grow them to maturity.This whole idea of seed selling defeats the stereotype of marijuana users as lazy, shiftless, irresponsible, dependent people.It's almost like free advertising.The harder the DEA tries to win, the deeper they drag themselves in.
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Comment #26 posted by dongenero on August 02, 2005 at 13:14:01 PT

ah, I've got it
Act now and recieve a free Chia-pot. Choose either the Tommy Chong head or the George Bush head. Just fill with water, apply the cannabis seeds to the top of the clay head and in 48 hours watch their pot hair start to grow! Simply transplant to your garden and start the fun all over again!
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Comment #25 posted by dongenero on August 02, 2005 at 13:05:21 PT

Advertising=desire
People will want cannabis seeds more than ever. It's the hot new craze sweeping the nation. Grow your own pot! Wait there's more! Act now and receive a free......well , you get the idea.The more attention the DEA gives it, the more people will want it. 
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Comment #24 posted by dongenero on August 02, 2005 at 13:01:19 PT

seeds online?!!
You mean we can buy pot seeds online?!!! Oh, oh , the cat's out of the bag. Anybody who didn't know cannabis seeds could be purchased online will certainly know it now. I wonder how much sales will increase for the dozens of seed retailers after this? The DEA does it again. You can't buy that kind of advertising. Publicity is publicity. People will seeds even more than before.
 
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Comment #23 posted by PainWithNoInsurance on August 02, 2005 at 12:48:57 PT

Well The Stupid DEA Lost One Now
They wanted them held until they were extradited and Canada says no.
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Comment #22 posted by FoM on August 02, 2005 at 12:43:53 PT

CBC: 'Prince of Pot' Freed on Bail 

 August 2 2005 B.C. Marijuana Party president Marc Emery, who faces extradition to the U.S. on drug and money-laundering charges, has been granted bail.A B.C. Supreme Court judge set bail at $50,000 dollars for the man described as Canada's "Prince of Pot." Emery, Marijuana Party vice-president Michelle Rainey-Fenkarek and Gregory Williams are all charged with conspiring to sell pot seeds to U.S. residents and money laundering. The three were arrested on Friday by Vancouver police at the request of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. Their arrests followed a year-long investigation by the DEA. None of the three face charges in Canada. The DEA is seeking to have them extradited for trial in the U.S., and had requested that Emery be held in custody until his extradition hearing concludes. That could take up to a year. U.S. officials allege that Emery has sold as much as $3 million in seeds. B.C. Marijuana Party spokesperson Kirk Tousaw says the arrests are about much more than law enforcement. "This is a political persecution not a criminal prosecution," he says. "They are not after Marc Emery because he sells marijuana seeds. There are dozens of those seed sellers throughout Canada and the United States. "They are after Marc Emery because he is a political activist, and we need to make sure Canadians understand that because this issue goes far beyond marijuana policy." http://vancouver.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=bc_marijuan-emery20050802

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Comment #21 posted by FoM on August 02, 2005 at 12:15:53 PT

EJ Here's One
Bird Study Shows Role of Cannabinoid Chemicals http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread19839.shtml 

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Comment #20 posted by E_Johnson on August 02, 2005 at 12:07:06 PT

I need some help finding three articles
I'm trying to convince the public editor of the New York Times that their marijuana science coverage could be much improved.There was once an article in the Times claiming that cannabinoids hijacked the bain's memory cells and made it impossible for people to learn. The reporter cited two pieces of purely anecdotal evidence and one small bit of molecular research as proof.I need the link to that, and the article where scientists in Florida discovered that cannabinoid memory suppression plays a role in birds being more able to find their food when it has been moved without their knowledge.Also the research showing marijuana use is highest in college towns. If marijuana truly made it impossible for people to learn, then why would college towns have the highest rate of use?I'm still mad about that first story, because it was really bad science journalism, and I want to keep bad journalism like that from happening again.
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Comment #19 posted by FoM on August 02, 2005 at 12:04:39 PT

Sam
We are becoming like these words from a song by NY called After Berlin***Tomorrow morning in old BerlinWhere they lock you out or lock you inWon't you save me, save me, save me, save me,Save me, save me, save me, save me,From the final daySave me from the final dayAfter Berlin.http://human-highway.com/lyrics/lyrics-22.html#111

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Comment #18 posted by Sam Adams on August 02, 2005 at 11:58:22 PT

Yes tour
Saw this in today's paper...hope you weren't planning on seeing Yes this summer - looks like they've been banished along with Cat Stevens....No visas, tour for Yes membersBy Steve Morse, Boston Globe Staff | August 2, 2005Visa problems, partly stemming from tightened security after recent terrorist attacks in London, have forced the cancellation of the aptly named ''More Drama Tour." It was to have featured three members of English classic-rock group Yes, playing under the name Howe-Squire-White, but the entire US tour has been scrapped, the band announced yesterday.The canceled dates include the Bank of America Pavilion Aug. 24 and Mohegan Sun Aug. 25. Refunds are available at point of purchase. The band is hoping to reschedule the tour, according to spokesman Jonathan Wolfson.''This came out of nowhere. We were supposed to start in Seattle on Aug. 2," Wolfson said yesterday from Los Angeles.
''We're frustrated as much as the fans are, but we understand the importance of the heightened security," bassist Chris Squire said in a statement yesterday.One of the opening acts, the Syn (also featuring Squire) posted a message on its website that said a member of the entourage had ''overstayed a previous visa and this impacted everyone on the application."
''If one member is red-flagged for any reason, then all members are red-flagged," the message said. ''In the days following the terrorist attacks in London, US immigration and Homeland Security rightly is on high alert, and there is no flexibility."
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on August 02, 2005 at 11:48:33 PT

Heads Up On Now
About Marc Emeryhttp://www.cfra.com/listen/index.asp
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Comment #16 posted by Jim Lunsford on August 02, 2005 at 10:10:16 PT

How long?........
before we (the people) realize that the only rights we have, are the ones we are willing to stand up for? and how much longer before we decide that we've had enough? And will it be in time? Free Marc Emery, Reverend Jim Lunsford
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Comment #15 posted by dongenero on August 02, 2005 at 09:58:45 PT

spot on Sam
Globalization of fascism.Canada is outsourcing their handling of Emery in order to circumvent Canadian law.Just like the US outsources their torture to Egypt.
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on August 02, 2005 at 09:31:52 PT

Just a Comment
I'm listening to Neil Young and this song just played and it seems to fit with what is going on today.***TIME OFF FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR***My brother went to prisonHe's in Kingston doin' timeHe got seven years for sellin'What I've been smokin' all my lifehttp://human-highway.com/lyrics/lyrics-24.html
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Comment #13 posted by Sam Adams on August 02, 2005 at 09:02:06 PT

2 more articles
Couple of articles I found on mapinc:DEA Pot Raid - "It's a War on Canadians, in Canada"http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=49457c9f-5976-40a2-8573-bd88f8aceb55Patriot Act Aided in Pot Busthttp://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1222/a08.html?1042Interesting that a Canadian paper reported the Patriot Act connection, but no American papers did. The whole DEA/Vancouver thing is absurd. They've been up there since 2002 just to nab Emery? What brilliant investigative work that must have been! What the hell have they been doing for 3 years? Seriously? How do you pass the time? Coffee and donuts only go so far. They must be among the laziest of all federal employees. And they told the people in Emery's store to "Freeze!". What else are they going to do?  They can't leave, they're doing a shift at their legitimate, tax-paying job! The only people that walk into a legitimate retail store and say "freeze" are criminals.Boy, it's great those DEA guys nabbed a woman in the raid, too - I'll feel a lot safer with her in jail for 10 years. Her and Renee Boje really had me scared down here. Better get them off the streets.  Seriously, what kind of a man gets off on this stuff?  The end for our society can't be very far ahead, with cruel thugs earning $100,000 per year and harmless hippie girls in the federal pen for 10 years. 
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on August 02, 2005 at 08:51:24 PT

goneposthole
I'm in such a serious mood. You made me laugh! Thanks!
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Comment #11 posted by goneposthole on August 02, 2005 at 08:49:10 PT

glad my cannabis crop is safe...
all one million acres of it in Afghanistan. The US Army is there protecting it for me.Signed, Osama bin LadenThanks
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Comment #10 posted by Sam Adams on August 02, 2005 at 08:46:48 PT

Canadian gov't
I believe most of the Canadian government, certainly the feds, are just as bad as in the US. They just can't get away with the same things as down here because the Canadian media is still open and independent, and because there's no ex-Confederate states with millions of knee-jerk religious fundamentalists supporting them.The Canadian gov't has been DYING to get Marc Emery. You think they liked the "summer of legalization" tour, where he went to their front doors and openly sparked up, taunting them in front of the media?This is just like when the US sends our prisoners off to Egypt & Pakistan to be tortured. It's "globalization" of fascism - just like Walmart. Shop around for the cheapest labor - or the most sadistic government.
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Comment #9 posted by Agog on August 02, 2005 at 08:43:11 PT

Fraud Waste and Abuse
This continues to be one of the most glaring examples of heavyhanded abuse of power yet. I think we should all call the "abuse" hotline and complain about misuse of federal funds.A dispensary was robbed here, and the local police are searching for the robbers while the dea is chiming in and threatening to investigate the dispensary itself... what a terrible waste. They believe they now have carte blanche to claim federal jurisdiction whenever it suits them. Another case in point the federal "law enforcement" group called "ICE" some sort of gang task force that uses Dept of Homeland Security forces to go into local communities and round up gang members because they "pose a threat to national security".... National police force anyone????makes me want to double up on the anti-emetics.R/Agog
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Comment #8 posted by E_Johnson on August 02, 2005 at 08:31:16 PT

More American money down the toilet
These 'roid ragers in the DEA will have nothing to show for the massive expenditure of cash it will take to bring their foul scheme to fruition.They're going to spend millions upon millions of American taxpayer dollars and they won't get anything back, because their target has zero assets to seize.They're going to sink their teeth in, expecting to taste sweet green blood, and hit dry white bone.
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Comment #7 posted by Max Flowers on August 02, 2005 at 08:26:38 PT

Actually
That's an *excellent* point.
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on August 02, 2005 at 08:07:52 PT

JHarshaw
Good point.
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Comment #5 posted by JHarshaw on August 02, 2005 at 07:54:29 PT

Reciprical Relationships
Since the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Act must work in both directions.....and since the American government obviously believes that crimes committed outside ones own country are still subject to Federal jurisdiction.....then would it not follow that since handguns are prohibited weapons in Canada could my government,( if they weren't such fauning lickspittles,) issue warrants and attempt to extradite American gun dealers and manufacturers for crimes committed with their weapons on this side of the border?Just a thought...Peace and Pot

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Comment #4 posted by FoM on August 02, 2005 at 07:50:51 PT

Off Topic But Not Really
Records Detail Jagger's 1969 Drug Claim
 
  
By Associated Press August 2, 2005LONDON -- Today, he's respectable Sir Mick. But 35 years ago Mick Jagger was a rock rebel who could rattle the authorities. Newly released police files show that in 1969, police considered Jagger an "intelligent young man" who lived on the fringe and consorted with "the dregs of society."The records, declassified by the National Archives, detail Jagger's claim that detectives planted drugs on him during a raid on his London apartment in 1969. 
 
 
The Rolling Stones singer was fined 200 pounds (about US$500 at the time) for possession of cannabis after the raid on his Chelsea home.The Metropolitan Police launched an investigation into Jagger's claim that a drug squad officer, Detective Sgt. Robin Constable, had tried to plant white powder inside a box in the house."I think he put the box down and opened the folded paper. He said 'Ah, ah,' we won't have to look much further,'" Jagger said in a statement to police."As I got to him he showed me the paper and I saw it contained some white powder. I said 'You bastard, you planted me with heroin.'"Jagger claimed Constable then said "Don't worry, Mick, we can sort it all out.""He twice asked me how much it was worth. He then said 'a thousand,' but I never replied," Jagger said.Scotland Yard launched an investigation, interviewing supporters of Jagger who ranged from a lawyer and a member of Parliament to minor drug dealers."The private persons interviewed during the course of this investigation represent extreme ends of the scale. At one end are public figures whilst at the other are the dregs of society," noted Commander Robert Huntley, who oversaw the inquiry.The investigation concluded that there was no "substantial corroborative evidence" for Jagger's claim against the "hardworking and competent police officer" Constable."Michael Jagger is an intelligent young man, and doubtless is on the fringe, if not embroiled in the world of users of dangerous drugs," said Detective Chief Inspector William Wilson, one of the investigators.The case was referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions, who concluded that no action should be taken against the police. http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/news/celebrity/sns-ap-people-jagger,0,6074.story?coll=mmx-celebrity_heds
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Comment #3 posted by dongenero on August 02, 2005 at 07:50:48 PT

the link
Here is the link though I know most of you have seen this.I'm hoping a journalist somewhere may happen across this.America- Land of the Free(violent criminal)
DOJ violent crime sentencing stats
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Comment #2 posted by dongenero on August 02, 2005 at 07:46:28 PT

life in prison for selling seeds
Average sentences in the US for various crimes. source:DOJHomicide    149 months
Rape      117 months
Kidnapping   104 months
Robbery    95 months
Sexual Assault 72 months
Assault    61 months
selling seeds lifeWelcome to America. Land of the free. Despite the comparatively lax violent crime sentences compared to selling seeds sentencing, we have the highest per capita incarceration rate of any western nation. Why? How can this be? Because our prisons are filled with non-violent drug offenders.How is that for priorities? How does the average American feel about that when they are being murdered, raped, robbed , kidnapped or assaulted? At least they got that seed selling guy.   
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on August 02, 2005 at 06:41:31 PT

Just a Comment
I still am very sad about all this. I just want to say I love all the people I have come to know from Canada. They have a spirit that has been long gone from our country. It makes me want to cry for all we aren't anymore. Good luck dear friends. Stand tall and be proud.
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