cannabisnews.com: Just What Did Emery Expect?










  Just What Did Emery Expect?

Posted by CN Staff on August 03, 2005 at 06:52:35 PT
By John Ibbitson 
Source: Globe and Mail 

Vancouver, B.C. -- Marc Emery has only himself to blame.He made bail yesterday, after having been charged with conspiracy to distribute marijuana and money laundering. Although Canadian law-enforcement officials have been turning a myopic eye to Mr. Emery's marijuana seed business, the Americans are not so sanguine. A federal grand jury issued an indictment for his arrest, Canadian police executed search warrants and took him into custody, as they were obliged to do under a mutual-assistance treaty between the two countries, and American prosecutors are asking that Mr. Emery be extradited to the United States for trial.
Critics assert that the Americans have no right to violate Canadian sovereignty by using our police forces as their patsies, especially when the offence is, in Canadian eyes, picayune. But while a court of justice will ultimately decide Mr. Emery's guilt or innocence before the law, in the court of public opinion, he should be found guilty as sin.Mr. Emery is an eloquent exponent of legalizing the use of marijuana, for which there is a very strong case. He has every right to make that case, and if he can make a buck by selling marijuana seeds, more power to him. Canadian jurisprudence and police attitudes toward the business are ambivalent. To that extent, Mr. Emery's defenders have a point.But he allegedly sold his seeds to American customers. In fact, it appears they made up the bulk of his business. Once you knowingly send something across a border, you become subject to the laws on the other side of the border.You might smoke an occasional joint. Millions of Canadians do, on a strictly recreational basis. But you wouldn't try to take some pot with you when you flew to Philadelphia for a business conference, no matter how tempting the thought. They have dogs and police and fancy equipment at the airport, and if you got caught, the Americans would arrest you, which would be bad in so many ways.When Mr. Emery shipped his seeds across the border, he was doing pretty much the same thing. He was doing something he knew the Americans didn't like and didn't allow and would strictly punish, if they could catch him. He did it anyway, and now he's been caught.Consider the situation in reverse. We all know that the Americans are very lax about selling handguns. They practically come in cereal boxes. But Canadians have strong feelings about people carrying concealed weapons, and strong laws to prevent it.What if an American gun dealer were mailing handguns to people in Canada through the Internet? Wouldn't we want him stopped? Wouldn't we want the Americans to arrest him and send him here, so that we could try him under our laws?Perhaps because he knows that a political storm will surround Mr. Emery's extradition, Justice Minister Irwin Cotler was nowhere to be found yesterday, and his staff refused to return calls. The minister will have a tough decision. The principle of dual criminality, which declares that both states must consider an act a crime before one state can extradite a person to another state, will come into play. It has been so long since there was a conviction for selling marijuana seeds that the law may have withered from disuse. Should a Canadian citizen be sent to face Draconian punishments in another country for something that is only technically a crime here?On the other hand, any reluctance to hand over Mr. Emery will confirm American suspicions that, on everything from grow-ops to crystal-meth labs, Canadians cannot be trusted in the war on drugs. Should we jeopardize Canada-U.S. relations to protect a man who repeatedly and publicly tests the limits of the law?These are important legal and political questions. But whatever fate awaits Mr. Emery, he has no reason to complain. He sold pot seeds into the United States. Did he really think the Americans would leave him be?From Wednesday's Globe and MailSource: Globe and Mail (Canada) Author: John IbbitsonPublished: Wednesday, August 3, 2005Copyright: 2005 The Globe and Mail CompanyContact: letters globeandmail.caWebsite: http://www.globeandmail.com/Related Articles:Emery Granted Bail in U.S. Extradition Casehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21010.shtmlPot Activist Marc Emery Granted Bailhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21009.shtmlShame on Canada, Pot Protestors Sayhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21008.shtml

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Comment #74 posted by FoM on August 15, 2005 at 08:48:36 PT
Jose
I'm not sure how I helped but you are welcome. As far as what has happened in Canada I really don't know what to say and I do worry for those who might get in trouble because of it here in the states. Canada and the USA are very different. I don't want to be like Canada but I appreciate the way they look at issues in their country. Meanwhile I'll keep on keepin on as long as there is news down here in the states to post.
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Comment #73 posted by jose melendez on August 15, 2005 at 08:43:12 PT
thanks, FoM
Thank you all for helping me refine my arguments to criminalize prohibition.I was published again on this subject:http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1320/a06.html Referenced:http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1258/a09.html
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Comment #72 posted by FoM on August 14, 2005 at 09:21:44 PT
Jose
It's good to see you.
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Comment #71 posted by jose melendez on August 14, 2005 at 08:48:59 PT
Sharpe Speaks Out
Washington, DC: Common Sense for Drug Policy's Robert Sharpe spoke out in Canada's NOW Magazine -"If outspoken Canadian marijuana activist and seed entrepreneur Marc Emery is guilty of anything, it's telling the truth about marijuana prohibition."http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1311/a12.html 
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Comment #70 posted by eco-man on August 13, 2005 at 08:27:43 PT
Marc Emery image gallery, links, forums, news.
http://gallery.marihemp.com/marc-emeryThe above link is a fairly good way for people to figure out about all the incredible activism and news that is occurring in Canada lately. Especially after Marc Emery was arrested this latest time.
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Comment #69 posted by FoM on August 12, 2005 at 19:41:27 PT
Related Article from The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/13/international/americas/13emery.html
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Comment #68 posted by afterburner on August 07, 2005 at 23:15:41 PT
'The love grass in his hand'
DON'T STEP ON THE GRASS, SAM From the 1968 release "The Second" 
  
Words and music by John Kay 
http://www.steppenwolf.com/lyr/dntste.htmlStarin' at the boob tube, turnin' on the big knob
Tryin' to find some life in the waste land
Fin'ly found a program, gonna deal with Mary Jane
Ready for a trip into hate land
Obnoxious Joe comes on the screen
Along with his guest self-righteous Sam
And one more guy who doesn't count
His hair and clothes are too far outWhile pushin' back his glasses Sam is sayin' casually
"I was elected by the masses"
And with that in mind he starts to unwind
A vicious attack on the finest of grassesWell it's evil, wicked, mean and nasty
(Don't step on the grass, Sam)
And it will ruin our fair country
(Don't be such an ass, Sam)
Well, it will hook your Sue and Johnny
(You're so full of bull, Sam)
All will pay that disagree with me
(Please give up you already lost the fight, alright)Misinformation Sam and Joe
Are feeding to the nation
But the one who didn't count counted them out
By exposing all their false quotations
Faced by a very awkward situation
This is all he'd say to save the dayWell it's evil, wicked, mean and nasty
(Don't step on the grass, Sam)
And it will ruin our fair country
(Don't be such an ass, Sam)
Well, it will hook your Sue and Johnny
(You're so full of bull, Sam)
All will pay that disagree with me
(Please give up you already lost the fight alright)You waste my coin Sam, all you can
To jail my fellow man
For smoking all the noble weed
You need much more than him
You've been telling lies so long
Some believe they're true
So they close their eyes to things
You have no right to do
Just as soon as you are gone
Hope will start to climb
Please don't stay around too long
You're wasting precious time
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Comment #67 posted by FoM on August 07, 2005 at 19:48:10 PT
cornoir 
Thanks for the information. I don't have anyway to get HT or CC because we would have to go to an adult book store to buy them. I guess if HT is selling seeds they will be looked at closely too. Who knows who will be next? 
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Comment #66 posted by cornoir on August 07, 2005 at 19:09:29 PT
Factoids about the Emery case
Factoid: In the latest High Times there are at least 12 seed suppliers with ad space, located in Canada (10), Spain (1), Amsterdam (1), Unknown (1). Almost all state by HT that the acquisition of live seeds is illegal, payable in us $ from anywhere in the world.No ads for Marc Emery, not suprising since there is some bad blood between Emery and HT. Did see an ad in the latest Best of HT for Valium and Vicodin, full page color.
Loooked in Heads and Skunk magazine from Canada but no Emery ads either but do ship worldwide.So only in Cannabis Culture mag does Emery advertise (which he owns), a Canadian mag I might add.
But even with these facts the DEA choose Emery over everyone else in all other Pot mags.And I will leave you with this quote from Karen Tandy DEA Administrator.
"Hundreds of thousands of dollars of Emery's illicit profits are known to have been channeled to marijuana legalization groups active in the United States and Canada. Drug legalization lobbyists now have one less pot of money to rely on."'nuff said
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Comment #65 posted by FoM on August 06, 2005 at 10:07:35 PT
Hope
Well Gollie! Do we fit in there somewhere! LOL!
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Comment #64 posted by Hope on August 06, 2005 at 09:59:51 PT
Laughing
It's some of that Ditto Head stuff. "Femi Nazi" is what Rush Limbaugh calls powerful women's rights activists.
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Comment #63 posted by FoM on August 06, 2005 at 09:53:23 PT
Hope
What is a jack-booted femi-Nazi?
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Comment #62 posted by Hope on August 06, 2005 at 09:51:04 PT
An interesting concept
An interview with Limbaugh, Emery, and that guy who is in prison for twenty five years in Florida in a wheel chair with a morphine pump...for having twenty eight too many pain pills to suit the DEA.
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Comment #61 posted by Hope on August 06, 2005 at 09:47:22 PT
"jack-booted femi-Nazi," 
Ditto head alert!There's bound to be one of you who might read this. Ditto head being attacked. Perhaps Rush could be persuaded to give Marc some advice about what to do in this perilous situation.
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Comment #60 posted by FoM on August 06, 2005 at 08:49:13 PT
Related Article from The Edmonton Sun
Canada vs. U.S. in Rope-a-Dope ***By Mindelle JacobsAugust 6, 2005 It's not as if "Prince of Pot" Marc Emery wasn't asking for it. Taunt Uncle Sam long enough, and the long arm of the U.S. law is bound to try to wrestle you into submission. Five years ago, the mouthy Vancouver activist boasted that he was "the world's most famous and well-known marijuana-seed seller." Two weeks ago, he expressed dismay that a cross-border tunnel built to smuggle pot into the U.S. was shut down when U.S. officials busted three B.C. men allegedly transporting the first load of weed. "It will remind Americans that we're producing pot, and we're trying to get it to them in any way possible," said Emery, founder of the B.C. Marijuana party. Could he possibly be any more provocative? He's openly admitted for years to selling marijuana seeds to Americans. He practically dared the U.S. authorities to hunt him down. If he'd restricted his seed-selling business to Canadians, no one would have given a hoot. Although he was convicted of trafficking in 1998 after Vancouver police raided his marijuana store and mail-order operation, he never went to jail. Sure, he was jailed for three months last year for trafficking for passing a joint at a rally in Saskatchewan, but that's an anomaly. We pretend to take marijuana cultivation and trafficking seriously in Canada simply to keep up appearances. The lenient sentences, however, prove that we don't particularly care if Canadians grow or sell pot (or smoke it, for that matter.) As a study of B.C. grow-ops observed earlier this year, few pot growers actually go to jail. The ones that do get an average sentence of only five months and the fines for trafficking are small. It's insane that our police and prosecutors spend so much time and resources sniffing out and prosecuting marijuana offenders when their behaviour is considered more a nuisance than a crime. We refuse to legalize pot - the sensible solution - because we're afraid to be a North American trailblazer in drug reform. Yet, we don't have the heart to seriously penalize pot offenders. What hypocrites we are. The obstinate U.S. approach to the war on drugs is also insane but at least the Americans are consistent. They believe pot is a scourge and, by God, they follow through. People convicted of growing or distributing pot in the U.S. receive a minimum sentence of 10 years in jail. Now Canada has been placed in an awkward situation. Emery was arrested by the RCMP at the request of U.S. authorities under a mutual-assistance treaty. U.S. law enforcement officials want Emery and two other individuals extradited to the United States to face charges that include conspiracy to manufacture marijuana and distribute marijuana seeds. Where it gets awkward is how we will be able to justify extraditing Emery and his two co-accused to the U.S. to face a possible sentence that the Supreme Court of Canada has already deemed unfair. Canada used to have a seven-year minimum sentence for the import and export of illegal drugs. But our high court struck that law down in the 1980s. If Justice Minster Irwin Cotler refuses to extradite Emery, he risks the wrath of the U.S. (Well, big deal.) But if he agrees to surrender Emery to the Americans, the "Prince of Pot" could appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada, which would likely quash the extradition order. Meanwhile, here's some food for thought. According to the U.S. Criminal Justice Policy Foundation, there are between 400,000 and 500,000 people in U.S. jails for drug offences - more than all the prisoners in the European Union. Also, a U.S. report released in May noted that the war on drugs has become a "war on marijuana." Pot arrests in the U.S. increased by 113% between 1990 and 2002 while non-marijuana arrests rose by only 10%, the study by the Sentencing Project found. The U.S. spends $4 billion a year arresting, prosecuting and incarcerating marijuana offenders. As for pot, the price has dropped, potency has increased and use has gone up. Copyright: 2005, Canoe Inc. http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Columnists/Jacobs_Mindelle/2005/08/06/1161331.html
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Comment #59 posted by BGreen on August 06, 2005 at 07:55:08 PT
OMG, How stupid can they really be?
Chief among them are the U.S. prosecutors who want to put him on trial in Seattle. They say he shamelessly shilled cannabis seeds to U.S. customers over the Internet and provided step-by-step instructions on how to cultivate them into marijuana plants.Place seed in dirt, give water, light, and a little bit of fertilizer, and be patient.Oops, I think I've given out the secret!The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #58 posted by FoM on August 06, 2005 at 07:15:58 PT
Related Article from The Globe & Mail
Crusader, Drug Lord, Martyr or Huckster?***However he's perceived, prominent Canadian pot activist Marc Emery's true gift is rabble-rousing.By Jane ArmstrongSaturday, August 6, 2005 Page A3 
 VANCOUVER -- He loves hockey and comic-book superheroes. But Marc Emery's greatest passion is riling authorities. Nearly everywhere he has lived or worked, he has left a trail of fuming police officers and bureaucrats.From defending his right to sell sexually explicit magazines from his former bookstores in London, Ont., to lighting marijuana joints in front of police, Mr. Emery's true gift is rabble-rousing.His second great talent is shameless spotlight-grabbing. He dropped out of high school, he once explained, because: "My idea of a good time was to take away the control from the teacher and install myself as the main influence in the class."Like many a class clown, Mr. Emery, 47, may have gone too far. This time, he has infuriated the powerful U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Unlike Canadian authorities, who have long turned a blind eye to Mr. Emery's illegal cannabis ventures, U.S. prosecutors do not find his life's work the least bit tolerable.To them, he is a drug lord, and last year they sent undercover drug officers to Canada to pose as customers. Now they want him sent to the United States and put on trial. Mr. Emery faces charges of conspiracy to distribute cannabis seeds, produce marijuana and launder money. If convicted, he could be sentenced to between 10 years and life in prison.He might need a superhero of his own to get out of this jam.Looking fatigued after a week in a Vancouver-area remand centre, Mr. Emery returned yesterday to his Hastings Street bookstore to chat with reporters and huddle with supporters.Comparing himself to Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Mr. Emery said he is prepared to go to jail if it helps to further his beloved cause of legalizing marijuana."If I thought my death or my lifetime in prison -- even with great suffering -- would bring about the liberation of the hundreds of thousands of people around the world who are oppressed, I am looking forward to that," he said.However, in an earlier interview, his wife, Cheryl Redick, said he is shaken at the gravity of the U.S. charges and fearful of a U.S jail term. "He wouldn't last long," Ms. Redick said last week as she waited for friends to come up with $50,000 bail. "He'd be thrown in with the Hells Angels and those types. He's not equipped to deal with that."Not surprisingly, his arrest at the request of U.S. drug officers has transformed Mr. Emery into a martyr on the West Coast, where marijuana activists number in the thousands. At his bail hearing in Vancouver this week, supporters who crammed into court gazed at the scruffily dressed defendant as though he were a rock star, waving and jumping to their feet when he was brought into court.Outside, protesters -- some smoking joints -- jeered at the DEA, which initiated the elaborate undercover operation.Mr. Emery's mythical status is sure to grow as the extradition case makes its way through the Canadian justice system. Not only is he seen as a freedom fighter among those battling to decriminalize marijuana, he also has become a symbol of Canada's right to pursue a more lenient drug strategy than its neighbour to the south. The DEA, they say, should mind its own business.But not everyone has rushed to deify Mr. Emery.Chief among them are the U.S. prosecutors who want to put him on trial in Seattle. They say he shamelessly shilled cannabis seeds to U.S. customers over the Internet and provided step-by-step instructions on how to cultivate them into marijuana plants.In interviews, he has bragged that he has earned millions over the years from U.S. customers, who make up 75 per cent of his business.Those taunts, said U.S. Attorney Todd Greenberg, make Mr. Emery "our business." According to bank statements seized by U.S. police, more than $5-million has gone in and out of Mr. Emery's Vancouver bank accounts since 1999. "He's a drug trafficker," Mr. Greenberg said. "He's selling seeds that will be grown into illegal drugs." Those who have known the activist for years are not surprised that he has found himself in trouble with U.S. drug officials."He alienated as many people as he attracted," said Tara Tarasewicz, who bought Mr. Emery's London bookstore, City Lights, in 1992. "He's unrestrained in an intelligent sort of way."She said Mr. Emery enjoys the same mythic status in his hometown of London as he does on the West Coast. In fact, a stage version of his life so far, entitled Citizen Marc, is in the works.Ms. Tarasewicz described Mr. Emery as a passionate libertarian-style crusader who took on any organization -- from London's downtown business improvement association to feminists -- that he believed tampered with individual freedoms.After a run-in with a local feminist, whom he called a "jack-booted femi-Nazi," Mr. Emery refused to carry a women's studies section in his bookstore, angering many women in London.He sold record albums that Ontario censors deemed obscene, and opened his store on Sundays when it was still against the law.As is the case with his Vancouver operations, Mr. Emery's headquarters in London was his bookstore, which Ms. Tarasewicz described as a beacon for intellectuals and activists.He was also a brilliant retailer, she said. "He can sell anything."I learned a lot just watching him. If he wasn't involved in this pot business he could definitely teach a fabulous marketing course and public relations at any university."Indeed, Mr. Emery's lucrative seed-selling operation was the latest successful venture he has operated since he started selling comic books at 15. He rented a stall inside an antique store and was soon buying and selling comics by the hundreds. Two years later, when the storeowner retired, Mr. Emery's father lent him $10,000 to launch his own bookstore on the site.City Lights became the base from which Mr. Emery launched his many causes. He started political parties and newspapers. He regularly got himself arrested and got himself on TV.Filmmaker Christopher Doty, who is producing Citizen Marc, said Mr. Emery's London years were spent searching for a cause that would combine his love for selling with political activism. But he never found it in London, Mr. Doty added.In his 20s, he married an older woman and adopted and home-schooled her two sons. When the marriage broke up, he became involved with a woman who also had two children, whom he adopted as well.In 1992, at 34, he grew disillusioned with life in Canada. "He always hoped that more people would get behind him," Mr. Doty said.He moved his family to the Indonesian island of Sumatra, where he opened a guest lodge for tourists. The venture failed and he returned to Canada nearly penniless.This time, Mr. Emery settled in Vancouver, Canada's epicentre of pot culture. He sold cannabis seeds through the mail and opened a store called Hemp B.C., which sold bongs, pipes and how-to books on grow operations. In marijuana activism and seed-selling, Mr. Emery found a way to marry a popular crusade with commerce. In 2002, he reconnected with Ms. Redick, who is also from London and had worked in his bookstore as a teenager. The couple have been together ever since and share a $3,000-a-month apartment in Vancouver's West End.In an interview, Ms. Redick said life with a crusader can be trying. When DEA officers entered the couple's apartment with a search warrant, they carted off her computer, which contained a daily diary. The couple must now move to a cheaper apartment, and Ms. Redick, who operates a small design business, will have to find a better-paying job to help cover her husband's legal bills.In Vancouver, some believe the United States is simply trying to scare Mr. Emery so he will stop selling seeds to customers there.U.S. prosecutors disagree."I think that's wishful thinking on the part of Mr. Emery's supporters," Mr. Greenberg said. "We fully intend to follow this case through to trial."Asked yesterday whether he is afraid of the possibility of spending the rest of his life in a U.S. jail, Mr. Emery replied: "No. I probably will be, but not now."http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050806/EMERY06/TPNational/TopStories
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Comment #57 posted by herbdoc215 on August 05, 2005 at 21:01:51 PT
Yes, but post 9-11 ALL passports must be issued
in US and not Canada...but I am also hard pressed to name a country that would be safe today from extradition, my real fear would also be RENDITION. I wouldn't put secret jails, torture or anything beyond the NWO crew just to 'see' if maybe I would talk/testify or whatever else passes for justice in USA these days. Jumping from the pan to the fire holds little to no attraction for me. I hope to have as much courage as Marc is showing when my turn comes, at least we can show these evil little smatchetts what bravery looks like when they lock up somebody who isn't a "real" criminal...they get very little exposure to people who have the courage of their convictions.peace, steve 
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Comment #56 posted by afterburner on August 05, 2005 at 20:09:59 PT
herbdoc215 
Have you considered going to your nearest US Embassy and filing a passport application? Or would visiting the US Consulate, which is American soil, put you in too much jeopardy?
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Comment #55 posted by FoM on August 05, 2005 at 09:44:40 PT
herbdoc215
I learned that looking at life square on sometimes is the best way. Think long and hard and know that even if you lose somethings life might become better for you in time. You mentioned Steve McWilliams. I feel bad that he took his own life but is being dead worth it? What about those that love us? We must live for those who love us I believe. I will continue to keep you in my prayers. 
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Comment #54 posted by herbdoc215 on August 05, 2005 at 09:35:45 PT
FoM,   Everyday  :)
I and my company have been trying to work something out for over a year...we thought it was done before this whole new stuff came up now it's in limbo again but I been a good boy for a long time now so we'll see if they are willing to let me out or they just want to "rub me out"? This filing was my last chance before being given 21 days to leave Canada...they ain't going to make me go to USA if I don't want but without travel papers I can't go nowhere else plus I am tired and just want this to be over even if it takes a pound of flesh- I just want to be the one who decides where it gets cut from; not to mention the responsibility I owe to our shareholders who have invested big money in our biz the last 3 years. Plus I am tired of not being able to see my family, my mother-in-law passed away a couple of months ago and it was hardest thing I've ever done in my life to not be able to be there for Lucy Mae in her darkest hour, I'll never forgive myself for that no matter what happens. I lived with 'their' fear for so long though it no longer has the same power over me in once did, those who care for me are much more afraid for me than my stupid, hardheaded ass is. Because I know that all I have to do to make it be over is quit fighting...the only thing thats been keeping me going for a long time now is willpower and anger at the Oligarchy of the day...me and food have been on uneasy terms for last 15 years in the best of times let alone in jail with no meds at all. Plus I have no illusions anymore, that is worth alot more than most will ever know. I've had a killer, kick-ass life that has been way beyond any of my expectations, gotten to travel all around the world, met people we only get to read about in Ky.; who have taught me so much about this web of life around GIA to round off my old habit of placing too much emphasis on science only. Regrets? Many. Things I would change if I could, zero. 
Before getting involved with medical cannabis I was a regular person just like anybody else. After what I saw in Humboldt and here in BC working with patients has given me back my soul, and I don't intend upon ever losing it again. The future is mighty cloudy right now, but I was never more sure of the justice of our cause than I am now. Peace, steve
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Comment #53 posted by unkat27 on August 05, 2005 at 09:14:57 PT
DEA are Bullies
The DEA, like the war party, are arrogant bullies. They have married muscles and money and tossed brains out into the cold. Bullies don't listen to reason. The only thing bullies understand is a black eye or a bloody nose. They don't understand pacificists, but see them as nothing more than an inferior species. Ask them why they do what they do and all you get is the ignoramus response: "Because I can." The only way to stop a bully is to teach him to respect you and the only way he'll do that is if you somehow beat him at his own game.
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Comment #52 posted by FoM on August 05, 2005 at 09:08:54 PT
herbdoc215
I feel so bad for you. Have you ever thought about just coming back to the states? I know that sounds like a simple question but in the end it might be what would be best. I don't know though.
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Comment #51 posted by FoM on August 05, 2005 at 08:52:49 PT

What is Bothering Me
I have been trying to figure out why Emery's case is bothering me so much. I want to help change the laws but I believe the way to change the laws is like we have been doing. Angel Raich and Valerie Corral are people I admire and respect the way they go about trying to bring awareness to Cannabis and the laws. We have had good TV coverage in the past with WAMM and Angel. Canada is very different then the states. I am annoyed that it could cause us grief. CNews has never received any money from Emery and that's a good thing. I haven't been given any money and that's the way I want it. I take that back. A few years ago I received a gift of $100. I am glad we can stand without his money since I always felt fighting that way sure isn't my way. I haven't seen or heard other then a NORML and DPA comment to think that they receive money from Emery. MPP hasn't said one word about this case either. Hopefully we won't get hurt by all of this. 
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Comment #50 posted by herbdoc215 on August 05, 2005 at 08:49:46 PT

My final filing to Immigra if anybody's interested
It's all a matter of public record so I'm not breaking protocol...here is my last shot at staying here? Am afraid (Canadian Justice Minister) Cotler has traded us all off for a dang spy (Pollard)to be released in USA...can't believe the people they think we are worse than. These days ahead of us all we are going to have to make hard choices about what each of us really stands for, as 'Big Brother' doesn't look like he is going to stop after he gets done with any group...just like Pastor Niemoeller in Germany said, "In Germany they first came for the Communist, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a communist......and by that time there was nobody left to speak up"!!!!!! Don't let fear rule your life, I see these little punks for just what they are. Peace, steve To Canada Border Services Agency 
Re STEVEN WILLIAM TUCK
File Number 5139 – 5141 – 8329 
August 4, 2005 
 
APPLICATION FOR A PRE-REMOVAL RISK ASSESSMENT 
 
In accordance with the rules for a PPRA, I am submitting three new developments which I believe demonstrate the danger that I would face if forced to return to the United States. (Finally, I have also been instrumental in a development of major economic importance to Canada, described below.)
 
First, on June 5th of this year the United States Supreme Court Ruled in the Raich case (ALBERTO R. GONZALES, ATTORNEY GENERAL, ET AL., PETITIONERS v. ANGEL MCCLARY RAICH ET AL.) that the United States Federal government could arrest and prosecute individual medical marijuana patients, despite of the existence of state laws to the contrary. 
 
The opinions are online at http://wid.ap.org/scotus/pdf/03-1454P.ZO.pdf (Stevens for the majority)
http://wid.ap.org/scotus/pdf/03-1454P.ZC.pdf (Scalia concurring)
http://wid.ap.org/scotus/pdf/03-1454P.ZD.pdf (O’Connor and Rehnquist dissenting) 
http://wid.ap.org/scotus/pdf/03-1454P.ZD1.pdf (Thomas dissenting)
 
Consequently, I would not be safe anywhere in the US, and thus would “be exposed to the risk wherever” I am in my country, and would die a very painful death before being given due process. This risk is not theoretical. Federal authorities have not only raided a number of medical marijuana compassion societies in California recently, they have actually moved to accelerate the removal of a federal court injunction against raiding a patient co-operative/hospice in Santa Cruz, California. In 2002, they handcuffed a partially paralyzed woman, Suzanne Pheil, in her bed there while they cut down her plants. 
 
DEA spokesman Richard Meyer said, “(W)e see them as victims of their traffickers.” Ms Pheil responded, "We are not the victims of drug traffickers - we are victims of the DEA…. With a gun to my head the DEA stole the medicine that over 250 sick and dying people worked to grow." Is this “protection” of my government that I am supposed to seek?
 
The fact that the DEA is giving such priority to being able to attack sick and dying people after the Raich ruling demonstrates the danger that I would face in the United States. This risk is not theoretical. Last month, Steve McWilliams, a San Diego medical marijuana patient/activist committed suicide rather than face federal prison. His case involved just 25 plants, but he was denied access to medical marijuana while waiting to see if the Raich case would prevent him from being sent to prison, for “only” six months, where he knew he would suffer even more.
 
It should also be noted that Justice John Paul Stevens, writing for the majority, said, “The case is made difficult by respondents strong arguments that they will suffer irreparable harm because, despite a congressional finding to the contrary, marijuana does have valid therapeutic purposes.” 
 
Second, as for the US being a democratic country, Justice Stevens also said, “(P)erhaps even more important than these legal avenues is the democratic process, in which the voices of voters allied with these respondents may one day be heard in the halls of Congress.”
 
However, despite polls showing that roughly 70% of the American people oppose arresting medical marijuana patients, on June 15th, less than two weeks after the Raich decision, the House of Representatives voted to continue funding federal arrests of patients in states with medical marijuana laws, by defeating the Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment to Justice Department funding bill by a margin of 264 to 161. (The international pharmaceutical industry spends MORE THAN ONE THOUSAND TIMES as much as the entire medical cannabis movement lobbying the US Congress.)
 
Third, on July 29th, Canadian police arrested Marc Emery and two associates at the request of the United States on “conspiracy” charges related to the sale of marijuana seeds in the United States. 
 
There are many others in Canada and elsewhere who sell seeds to Americans, but Emery is the only one to be charged because he has been politically outspoken in opposition to marijuana prohibition, as I was while I was in California. I was the only person arrested in connection with the Humboldt raids, even though many others were in a significant medical marijuana group (Conspiracy?). If my arrest was not political, why was no one else charged?
 
Please note that the record shows that when I first entered Canada I had a box of cannabis seeds that I brought across the border in an alleged violation of US law and Canadian law and probably international treaties in a “conspiracy” with a branch of the Canadian government. (The US government will certainly consider this an alleged conspiracy between the Canadian government and me. Under US law a person is responsible for all of the plants grown with his or her seeds.)
 
I did not seek refuge at that time because I still could not bring myself to think that it would be necessary. Instead, I returned to the US. It was only after I had made my gift to Canada and returned to California that I was told that my life would be in danger if I stayed in America.
 
Now that Canada has legally accepted my seeds, the US considers this to be a violation of US laws to give them to Canada. Consequently, the Immigration Ministry wants to send me back to the US to face even greater danger than I was in before. 
 
In light of the arrest of Emery and his associates, one of whom was arrested solely because he sold seeds to an American undercover agent in Canada, how can it be argued that I “lacked a subjective fear of persecution and risk of harm” if I am forced to return to the US?
 
In the opinion dated January 27th, J. Henegan cites a portion of my comments about my fear being primarily focused on federal versus state laws.
 
Here is my dilemma. I did not flee the US to avoid prosecution, but because I feared extrajudicial action by Humboldt County law enforcement, possibly in collusion with Federal authorities, after my gift of cannabis seeds to Canada.
 
There has subsequently been a change of administration in Humboldt County and I now believe that it would be safe for me to return there and stand trial. I am convinced that I would never be convicted by a jury in Humboldt, if I am tried under state laws. However, if I am convicted under California law by a jury of my peers after having been allowed to tell the truth, then I will accept the verdict of the jury.
(Please remember, under US federal law I would not be allowed to mention anything about medical marijuana, nor would I even be allowed to mention my own injuries suffered while serving in a clandestine capacity while in the US military.)
 
However, as a result of my fear of extrajudicial violence, I could now face federal prosecution not only for supplying seeds to Canada, and a very large amount of medical cannabis to patients in California; I could also face federal charges for “flight to avoid prosecution.” 
 
I believe that I might even be acquitted of those federal charges if I was allowed to testify about the circumstances, but under federal law I would not be allowed to use medical marijuana while awaiting trial, even if I was not held in a federal prison, which I almost certainly would be.
 
As bizarre as it might seem, I could actually face the death penalty under US federal law as a “drug kingpin” if they prosecute me for all of the plants allegedly grown from my seeds and/or clones. Presumably, Canada would not send me to the US to face possible execution, but unfortunately, I would never live long enough to die a relatively painless death by execution. I will be dead within days of being deprived of cannabis while in federal custody.
 
Consequently, if Canada delivers me to the US authorities, and I am arrested, it will be sending me to the certainty of a very painful death. You may not call that “a risk” to my life, or “torture” or “cruel and usual treatment”, but call it whatever you like, I will be just as dead after suffering just as much pain. Shouldn’t any “pre-removal risk assessment” necessarily involve determining whether I would risk federal prosecution if I am forced to return to the US? 
 
Inasmuch as the government of Canada increased my risk of federal prosecution in the US, and that risk has increased in light of the recent developments cited above, I beg the government of Canada to determine whether I would face federal prosecution if I am forced to return to the US. 
 
I repeat: If I do not face federal prosecution, I will happily return to Humboldt County to defend myself against any state charges. 
 
One would like to think that the government of Canada would at least want to know whether face federal charges and whether it would be complicit in my death. Canada is certainly in a much better position to determine whether I face federal prosecution than I am. (As demonstrated by the arrest of Marc Emery, Canadian authorities have a very close working relationship with their American counterparts.)
 
It is also important to note that I cannot go to any other country. My US passport was not taken by court order, but was illegally destroyed by Humboldt County police. 
 
Finally, as noted, I would like to stay in Canada, because I have ceased any activity involving cannabis (other than using it medically), and I have been active in mineral exploration and have personally discovered major mineral deposits covering approximately 50,000 acres, which have been claimed in the name of Ashlu Mines, Inc., a BC corporation, of which I am a shareholder, officer and director. (See attached) 
 
I believe that my being forced to leave Canada will significantly delay the development of these properties. (To verify the information, contact Michael Raftery, Chartered Accountant, CFO Ashlu Mines, Inc. at 604-xxx-xxxx) 
 
If Canada still insists on expelling me and determines that I am in danger of US prosecution, would it not be fair to ask that Canada provide me with travel documents, either US or Canadian? Or will it at least help me follow Steve McWilliams, and let me be freed of pain?
 
Canada conspired with me to take my seeds. Will it now ‘conspire” with the US to take my life? 
 
Signed _______________________________
STEVEN WILLIAM TUCK
August 4, 2005Attached; Government report filed for Ashlu Mines Inc. plus maps and assay reports from 2003 and 2004.

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Comment #49 posted by jose melendez on August 05, 2005 at 08:41:21 PT

Holy Smoke
We are not the only ones fighting back:" . . . Rastafarians continue to be arrested, jailed and sometimes deported for using small amounts of marijuana, which the faith considers a holy sacrament."http://tinyurl.com/btwqg
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Comment #48 posted by FoM on August 05, 2005 at 06:37:01 PT

Two Related Articles from Snipped Sources
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/connelly/235421_joel05.htmlhttp://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=a911c495-d70f-4d03-a26a-034e90c373e6&page=1
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Comment #47 posted by afterburner on August 05, 2005 at 00:14:41 PT

"No pot tv? but how will i know anything? :P "
"so."chris said you can watch any show by clicking on the green camera" --bloodbrotha"The shows will play if you click the camera icon on the main page, just the show pages are not comming up." --chrisbennett For example, Marijuana News Global Conspiracy Report August 3, 2005 
With Richard Cowan
"US Fails To Get Marc Emery Without Bail, Canadian Political Blowback Begins, Mexico The Real Problem, Kubby Zings Drug Czar And An Interview With Michelle Rainey"
http://pot.tv/ram/pottvshowse3901.ramThanks to bloodbrotha and Chris Bennett, 
Pot-TV Station Manager 

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Comment #46 posted by FoM on August 04, 2005 at 19:46:41 PT

kaptinemo
I appreciate what you are saying. It does make sense to me. It's like who owns the Cannabis plant. That's terribly simple but in a way it's true. I'm rambling with how I feel because I am still very angry. I think it will take me some time to return to my world of rose colored glasses. I'm just mad. I'm fedup with this totally insane attack on a natural and fragrant herbal medicine. Herbs are weeds that have a beneficial medicinal property. If one weed is illegal all weeds should be illegal. I sure have plenty of weeds where I live. How about they pull them up and burn them for me. It would save me a lot of work.
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Comment #45 posted by kaptinemo on August 04, 2005 at 19:28:11 PT:

"Always darkest before the dawn"
FoM, I've always felt that the antis would ratchet up the severity of their actions before things fell apart for them. Just as some of the bloodiest battles in history (for example, in 1918 WW1 and Pork Chop Hill in Korea) happened before the armistace, I believe we are witnessing a similar pattern. Part of the reason comes from an unexpected quarter: Sativex. Think about it; Sativex IS marijuana, in liquid form, and no amount of caterwauling or protests on the part of GW Pharma can erase that fact. Sativex is now legally available in Canada. But Sativex originates from cannabis plants. Which come from seeds.So...why are Sativex's seeds more legal than Emery's? Especially when the end result - production of medicine - is the same? I'm told Sativex can get you high; so can homegrown. Does Sativex's intoxicating ability not fall under the 'danger of misuse' category of the Controlled Substances Act? The hypocrisy is becoming ever more difficult to explain away. But what''s even more important is that if during the trial Emery's lawyer Mr. Conroy demands PROOF of cannabis's deleterious effects, The Crown (a.k.a the prosecutors) will be laughed out of court. It will face the same withering criticism that many of the anti witnesses in Canuck Senator Claude Nolin's commission did when they tried to spew their dreck. I've said that if all the papers regarding cannabis's medical efficacies were to be entered into evidence, you'd need a cart with a hydraulic lift to move them around, there's so many of them and they'd weigh so much. Mr. Conroy might want to consider purchasing such a cart, and a ton of ink for the printers, for here's an excellent opportunity.For all the seeming reason for gloom, the antis wouldn't have done this unles they were suffering from dangerously overweening hubris and arrogance, or they are realizing that what I said about Sativex becoming the petard that hoists the antis is true, and the time they have to get their kicks in is very limited indeed. In either event, they have created an international incident which has finally brought to a head something that has been building for some time: the question of whether Canadian sovereignty exists or is a myth. I've said many times before that this issue above all others will bring this matter to the forefront of the average Canadian's consciousness. That such an earthshaking issue may have to be decided over cannabis is the wildest of ironies. It IS just a plant, after all. :)
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Comment #44 posted by FoM on August 04, 2005 at 17:43:07 PT

kaptinemo 
It sounds like you had a nice time. This whole Emery issue is really hard for me to handle. I am upset but I can't figure out why I am as upset as I am. I think it is because of the ripple effect that could happen. I look forward in time and try to figure out where this will finally end. I think about the strategy that they are using and how do they think they will win in the end? I see areas that are possibly going to hurt other people but maybe no one else will get hurt. I just wish it hadn't happened.
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Comment #43 posted by kaptinemo on August 04, 2005 at 16:30:55 PT:

Thanks, FoM
It's good to be back...in 'here', at least. Having spent the last two weeks of July on Vancouver Island, amongst like-minded folks (smoking and non) I was going to end my stay on that last Friday of my vacation with a visit to the North American cannabist's version of Mecca, but illness, assisting friends in need of tech support and a lack of time caused me to miss my chance...and thus miss the spectacle of the RCMP puppets dancing to the DEA's tune...and incidentally wiping their bums with their nation's sovereignty. I'll never be able to look at that pretty red-and-white flag again without mentally seeing a fresh, smelly brown smear on it's fabric. Not unless this latest affront to Canuck dignity is answered strongly by Canuck leaders.This is NOT how you treat good neighbors and trusted allies. This is NOT how you treat long-time friends who've never done you wrong. But unless Canadians stand up and loudly denounce this, the trend of eroding Canuck sovereignty will accelerate and soon. THIS MUST BE ANSWERED.This is the true face of that much ballyhooed 'harmonization' some (IMHO, traitorous) Canadians want with the US, Canucks; do you *really* want that? Do you?In parting, I'd like to offer this: in the early days of the Reagan Administration, during the time of Solidarity in Poland defying the Communists, there was much sentiment on the part of the cabinet to "Let Poland be Poland". It was a propaganda ploy, of course, a Cold War chess move, but the core sentiment was understandable.In that same vein, but without the Machiavellian games, the Kaptin sez: "Let Canada be Canada!". 
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Comment #42 posted by afterburner on August 04, 2005 at 12:21:49 PT

kaptinemo
Marc Emery as the 'tar baby': Excellent!
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Comment #41 posted by unkat27 on August 04, 2005 at 12:16:09 PT

Letter to CA Media
I can't do as much as I'd like, but I can send emails, so i sent this one to all the CA media listed at the Cannabis Culture site. Hope I'm not being too aggressive, don't need the DEA on my case.To the Free Mediators of Canada and the World,This is to inform you that the days of the bully DEA and the US war-party fascists are numbered and supporting them in their campaign against the freedom of the people to choose for themselves whether or not they want to use cannabis either medicinally or as a recreational alternative to the demon alcohol will be a mistake.If you truly want to be respected as a democratic voice of the people and not the fascist tyrants that force the people to do everything their way, you should think twice before letting your journalism be biased in favor of the corporate bullies of the US government and their fascist violations of human rights.If you support the extradition and demonization of Marc Emery, you support the wrong people and your days will be numbered too. This is not a threat, it is a word for the wise. The DEA is a fascist organ that is in gross violation of human rights. It is the USA's own private version
of the gestapo.The majority of Americans do not support it and its fascist ways. Unfortunately, WE cannot use violent methods to defend ourselves, as they DO use violent methods to enforce their fascist laws. This point is the only real reason why they are winning and we are losing (or so it
seems).Give peace a chance and stop your support of the DEA and the corrupt, criminal US federal government. Its days are numbered.N.Z.

5 Things to do to help Emery
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Comment #40 posted by FoM on August 04, 2005 at 12:06:23 PT

kaptinemo
It's good to see you. This whole Emery thing has me really set back. I probably will just turn off the computer more often until it is over. I want to see how americans see this but from what I notice many people don't seem to care that would normally post on CNews. I don't see any emails that supports this case except those from Canada and that is understandable. Maybe people who are into the seed thing care too. I don't know. If everyone really cares where are they and why aren't they saying something?
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Comment #39 posted by kaptinemo on August 04, 2005 at 11:55:48 PT:

Critical mass.
We've all asked the question: What instance, what event, what tragedy will it take to cause the violent sudden implosion of the US-spawned drug prohibition? It's boundaries have, like a balloon, expanded far beyond the social and fiscal 'safeties' which govern the conduct of nations. Outrage after outrage, unlawful death after unlawful death, civil liberties savaged to the point of unrecognizability...so many 'triggers' exist for this particular social explosive that it's a wonder that something hasn't happened already to detonate the whole slime-dripping mass.But this might well be it.An international incident. One which (very publicly) threatens to highlight the normally invisible (to American eyes) and pointlessly vicious US drug laws as compared with those of other nations. Because the comparisons have to be made in the process of Mr. Emery's trial.Most of the American DrugWar has been conducted on the periphery of the American consciousness, while it's prosecution actually cuts deep to the bone of what it (supposedly) means to be an American. The DrugWarriors want it that way, because a public aroused by a particularly eggregious screwup by them might just demand a (gasp!) DEBATE as to the efficacy of the efforts of the DrugWarriors. Hence their (largely successful) coralling of the (mainly lazy) media who swallow every lie from the ONDCP uncritically. While this has begun to change, it has been changing slowly until fairly recently: the fallout from the Supremes on Raich/Monson caused the media to finally quit swallowing and demand to see the contents of the bottle. But it will take more than the media. It will take a court case. One in which the lies about cannabis can be exposed publicly.This might be that case. And Mr. Emery may be foxier than the antis think he is (care to shake hands with The Tar Baby, Johnny Pee?) by providing a credible rebuttal to all the lies. After all, the CANADIAN SENATE not too long ago pointed out the paucity of evidence backing the most common lies told about cannabis. Plenty of publicly available evidence to refute anti hysterics. All usable in court.Like a fission bomb, the subcritical masses of prohibitionist lies are about to come slam-bang together and cause an explosion of truth. The fallout from this explosion can have only one result in a society which still claims 'rule of law' as it's precepts: the end of cannabis prohibition. So any support that can be given to Mr. Emery may actually speed that process. It's not just about one guy; it never was. It's about forcing the organs of justice to live up to their claims of legitimacy. 
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Comment #38 posted by Max Flowers on August 04, 2005 at 10:13:26 PT

Canadian press
Personally I feel some better after reading this:The Vancouver Sun's headline screamed, "Uncle Sam Orchestrates Vancouver Pot Bust." Editorially the Sun unleashed, "outrageous infringement of Canadian sovereignty," in paragraph one. - As long as the Canadian press is pushing the fact that Canada's sovereignty has been infringed, I think things may develop in a favorable manner. The worst thing would be if the press there didn't run with that angle at all, but that's not happening, which is good. Just being in Canada two weeks and reading their newspapers a few times, I got the sense that their press is a lot more effective than ours in influencing the people.Maybe too few people in America are freakin' literate?
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Comment #37 posted by trekkie on August 04, 2005 at 09:20:03 PT

About the gun metaphor,
An interesting thing about our constitutional right to bear arms; our fore-fathers included that right in case the newly formed government became as oppresive as the one they had severed ties with, and a revolution would be neccessary again. Hence, the means to protect ourselves against our own government.The author's use of the gun metaphor is ironic, in that he uses it while comparing the "good government" of Canada to the police-state policies of our U.S. of by-Gawd A. Canadians, which cannot have handguns, don't need them, while in Bushekistan, we can have them, and may need them - soon.
I'd rather not need them, myself...Funnily enough, I got most of this from Penn & Teller's Bullsh!t on Showtime. Great show, and I tend to agree with them most of the time, as they look at things completely logically.
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Comment #36 posted by Hope on August 04, 2005 at 09:19:14 PT

Ken Lay was/is a big prohibitionist, too.
He was involved with all that bunch at Straight, along with the Bushes. I believe he may have been a board member of Straight."Tough Love"...my flowered derriere.

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Comment #35 posted by afterburner on August 04, 2005 at 09:14:15 PT

Hey, bud: Getting stoned and laid in Toronto

Printed from the City Newspaper website: rochester-citynews.comPOSTED ON AUGUST 3, 2005:
Hey, bud
Getting stoned and laid in TorontoBy Matt MernaghExcerpt:[QUOTE]
Former Canadian Broadcasting Corporation political commentator and longest-serving cannabis convict Rosie Rowbotham, who previously smuggled hashish into the country by the ton and was once referred to as the jolly hashish smuggler, loses his inner Buddha thinking about US-Canada relations and the prospects of plenty of Americans coming out to a café he visits weekly."They suffer from trickle-down idiocy," Rowbotham rants about Americans."Even the liberal ones. Republican, Democrat, I can't tell the difference," he says. "You can have your Coney Island fries, I'll take French Fries any time. Don't come up here to smoke our pot. Grow it at home and get 25 years."More than any Canadian Rowbotham knows how Canada can be an occasional target in the US war on drugs. Canadians face extradition for their cross-border smuggling activities these days.As this issue was going to press, the DEA did just that. On Friday, July 29, Canadian police picked up The Prince of Pot, Marc Emery, and two employees for extradition. The Vancouver Sun's headline screamed, "Uncle Sam Orchestrates Vancouver Pot Bust." Editorially the Sun unleashed, "outrageous infringement of Canadian sovereignty," in paragraph one."We're big ass kissers. We're going to get nailed and I'm mad," Rowbotham says. "What has America done right since the Marshall plan? If you can make a list of 10, argue it, then come up here and smoke our pot," he hangs up all wound-up.
[ENDQUOTE]http://rochester-citynews.com/gbase/Gyrosite/Content?oid=3699 BTW, Pot-TV is down. Only the home page is visible. All links currently return "Internal Server Error". Is the USDOJ collecting more names or is this service-outage just a "coincidence"? CC Forums are still active.
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Comment #34 posted by FoM on August 04, 2005 at 08:18:28 PT

Related Article from The Globe & Mail
Ottawa Will Let Courts Rule on Emery ExtraditionThursday, August 4, 2005 Page A10 
 Ottawa -- A Justice Department spokesman says the U.S. government is within its rights to request the extradition of B.C. pot activist Marc Emery, and the request will be allowed to run its course in the courts.Chris Girouard said Justice Minister Irwin Cotler cannot take a position on the case now because he will have the final word on Mr. Emery's extradition, after the courts have ruled.Marijuana activists have called on the federal government to reject the U.S. extradition request, saying the United States has much harsher policies on marijuana than Canada. Under U.S. law, Mr. Emery would face a minimum sentence of 10 years in jail if convicted of selling marijuana seeds in the United States. Copyright: 2005 The Globe and Mail Company

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Comment #33 posted by afterburner on August 04, 2005 at 08:09:11 PT

Point-Counterpoint: BC vs. Alberta
Point-Counterpoint: BC (home of BC Bud) vs. Alberta (home of US-sympathizing oil interests and reserves)CN BC: Editorial: Respect Canada's Standards Of Justice 03 Aug 2005 
Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC) 
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1229/a10.html [snipped]full story:
http://www.mapinc.org/ccnews/v05/n1229/a10.htmlCN AB: Editorial: Don't Push The U.S. On Pot 03 Aug 2005 
Calgary Herald 
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1233/a09.html [snipped]full story:
http://www.mapinc.org/newscc/v05/n1233/a09.html?397More backlash from Canadian prohibitionists. Canada has it's own battle to fight. We don't need interference from Uncle!
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Comment #32 posted by dongenero on August 04, 2005 at 07:32:25 PT

right afterburner
Not to mention Bin Laden and all the other top terrorists.Hey, at least our government has its priorities set.
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Comment #31 posted by afterburner on August 04, 2005 at 07:27:43 PT

Partly OT
Bizarre! The world is safe from the heinous crimes of Martha Stewart and Marc Emery, while Ken Lay, who allegedly bankrupted Enron, stole his employees jobs and pensions, defrauded his investors, and gamed the California electricity companies, continues to run free in his mansion in Florida, out on bail from 11 indictments ( Ken Lay, Enron and the US Public
Published on Friday, July 9, 2004 by The Nation. Ken Lay, Enron and the US Public.
by William Greider. Ken Lay finally took the "perp walk" down in Houston ...
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0709-05.htm AND Getting the attention of white-collar criminals
Kalamazoo Gazette, MI - 20 hours ago
... We suspect that former Enron CEO Ken Lay, who is awaiting trial on massive fraud charges, might not be sleeping well in the wake of what the court laid on [Bernard] Ebbers, [the 63-year-old former WorldCom chief executive officer] 
http://tinyurl.com/a5uz3 ): Aug. 4, 2005. 07:29 AM 
 
Martha Stewart’s incarceration extended
http://tinyurl.com/c5jxu [Toronto Star, free registration]American Justice, it ain't what it used to be!Aug. 4, 2005. 01:00 AM 
 
Affront to our sovereignty [Letters to the Editior]
http://tinyurl.com/9ddxv [Toronto Star, free registration]

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Comment #30 posted by Jim Lunsford on August 04, 2005 at 06:45:30 PT

Careful......
I am concerned about the willingness of activists to endorse the dangers of meth labs. I have seen first hand what this drug can do, but am more concerned about the law enforcement welfare program being continued in the meth prohibition war which would follow legalizing cannabis if these social slugs have their way. 
 End ALL prohibition, but please don't allow any way out other than the truth! That truth being that prohibition doesn't work and that prohibition is the problem, not the drug. 
 I thank all of you for all that you have done, for showing me how little I have done, and for all that is being done by such heroes as Marc Emery. Reverend Jim
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Comment #29 posted by jose melendez on August 03, 2005 at 22:50:40 PT

sent
I sent a $60 money order yesterday to the Marc Emert Legal Defense Fundc/o CANNABIS CULTURE MAGAZINEBox 15, 199 West HastingsVancouver BCCanada V6B 1H4I've requested permission from Cannabis Culture Magazine to use the Free Mark Emery logo as seen on:
 http://www.cannabisculture.com/newstore/catpage.cgi?num=8&cart_id=6442987.27996. . . for the back of a run of t-shirts I am making to raise more funds for this effort.If you can, please at least go to the CCMag site store at http://www.cannabisculture.com/newstore/catpage.cgi?num=0and support these brave people on the front lines of this unjust and corrupt drug war. 
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Comment #28 posted by John Tyler on August 03, 2005 at 21:57:00 PT

Political and Power
Marc and friends’ arrest is a political statement. The U.S. is trying to shut him up and shut down Canadian legalization activism. The Bush administration talks a good deal about freedom, liberty, and democracy but they don’t really believe it. If you don’t do things their way you are going to be in trouble. 
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Comment #27 posted by afterburner on August 03, 2005 at 20:49:03 PT

Higher into the Mind -- Deeper into the Culture
5 things you can do to help Marc Emery 
by Dana Larsen (02 Aug, 2005) Please do your part to keep the US drug war out of Canada!
http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/4471.html
 Emery, global war, & sovereignty 
by Ray Boyd (03 Aug, 2005) Arrest of seed merchant is tip of a melting iceberg
http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/4473.htmlExcerpt:"The bust has focused negative attention on the US-Canada MLAT signed in 1985, and on modifications to Canada's Extradition Act five years ago that make it easier for the US to take Canadians out of Canada."It has brought new attention to the loss of Canadian sovereignty under NAFTA and other cross-border agreements. Analysts note that the US is pressuring the governments of Canada and Mexico to cede their sovereignty to Washington, DC in accord with a hemispheric pact to be finalized by 2010. ..."As this article is being written, Emery's friends and family are begging the public for donations so they can get him and his employee (Marijuana Man) out of jail and also pay for the steep cost of fighting the DEA's extradition request."It seems certain, however, that just as America's illegal invasion of Iraq only strengthened Arab opposition to US policies, this brazen attack on the world's most philanthropic pot seed retailer has already backfired. Emery's arrest has energized cannabis users and civil libertarians, who've staged non-stop protests on his behalf. "When all is said and done, Emery will again be free to spread the gospel of legalization, and the American government will have found out the hard way that kidnapping foreigners and putting them on trial doesn't always work."#########"Sheriff John Brown always hated me, For what, I don't know: Every time I plant a seed, he said kill it before it grow - He said kill them before they grow." Bob Marley 
http://www.alwaysontherun.net/bob.htm#b3"Those of us who enjoy marijuana's entheogenic, religious and recreational values argue for the right of medical users to benefit from its medical values. Medical users should likewise demand that this miracle plant be legalized for all its uses – medical, recreational, spiritual and industrial."- Free Rob Cannabis, UK cannabis activist
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Comment #26 posted by PainWithNoInsurance on August 03, 2005 at 20:43:00 PT

HELP IS NEEDED!!!
I was looking over the BC Marijuana web site and learned that this is a political effort to get pro marijuana candidates into office all around Canada. Now I am learning why this bust is so important to our government. The list of candidates is pretty sizable, and they have a large list of political issues and where they stand on them. THIS has to be the biggest pro cannabis effort in the world. If there was once an effort worth supporting, this is the one. These people have done more for the cannabis movement than everyone here probably realizes. They deserve our help with donations and everyones effort to get them the funds they need to fight this injustice. Marc never saved any money from the profits of the store because he knew if he where busted then they would be seized. Insead, the profits where put into the pro cannabise movement. If we would all try to get NORML, MPP, DPA, and others to help raise money for the defense funds, and anyone who can think of anything come forward with their ideas we can change this outcome. If we could just get some corporations to donate, or some famous rock bands to hold fund raiser concerts, or anything. We owe these people a concerted effort such as writing news comments, or anything to get the word out.Donate to the legal defense fund:
http://www.cannabisculture.com/newstore/catpage.cgi?num=8&cart_id=1014164.21081Nobody has done more for the cannabis effort than the BC Marijuana Polictial party and Marc, Greg, and Michelle. 
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Comment #25 posted by mayan on August 03, 2005 at 17:57:34 PT

Is U.S. Trusted???
On the other hand, any reluctance to hand over Mr. Emery will confirm American suspicions that, on everything from grow-ops to crystal-meth labs, Canadians cannot be trusted in the war on drugs.CANADIANS cannot be trusted in the war on drugs?BWAAHAAAHAAAA!!!! That statement leads me to conclude that John Ibbitson is an absolute idiot.Relative...Prince of Pot still in jail as supporters scramble to post bail:
http://www.mytelus.com/news/article.do?pageID=bc_home&articleID=1994729Questions about Canada's role in arrest of marijuana activist:
http://www.mytelus.com/news/article.do?pageID=cbc/canada_home&articleID=1995396Unrelated...Group wants Denver voters to consider marijuana initiative: 
http://tinyurl.com/b5zq6Aussie beautician pleads for one chance to prove her innocence: 
http://tinyurl.com/7s4wrTHE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...Video: Alex Jones Bullhorns British Parliament Building:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/august2005/030805alexbullhorns.htm9/11 and the Mainstream Press - by Dr. David Ray Griffin:
http://www.septembereleventh.org/newsarchive/2005-07-29-pressclub.phpCynthia McKinney's 9/11 Congressional Briefing (MP3): http://www.radio4all.net/index.php?op=program-info&program_id=13498&nav=&Conspiracy Theories and the Fight for Truth:
http://www.theepochtimes.com/news/5-8-2/30806.html
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Comment #24 posted by billos on August 03, 2005 at 17:05:33 PT

.......When educated people...... 
start relating the sale of seeds to gun sales as a comparable example....we know it's the end of logical sense as we knew it.
But then again...we knew that happened decades ago.....
it is just in perpetuity.PS...I mentioned educated people.......it has nothing to do with wisdom.
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Comment #23 posted by The GCW on August 03, 2005 at 16:49:36 PT

bradbits throws bulls-eyes !!!!
The herb exposes hipocrisy and the oligarchy that runs the planet know this. That's why it's such a threat to them. How do you dupe people whose eyes have been opened?!!!!Cannabis is connected.AND THEY DO KNOW IT.That son in the white house, a graduate of the anti-Christ club: skul n bones, knows it. Cannabis exposes Bush; He has to stop cannabis.Cannabis must be the thing Bush fears the most.Cannabis is hunting down the son of destruction.The war is not one sided; Cannabis fights back.John 16:11, "...the ruler of this world has been judged."And He can't stop it; He can't just kill it, like all the people He doesn't like....We don't have to judge this Bush freak; cannabis does it for Us.George Bush is guilty of crimes against Christ God Our Father.Let Us pray that He saves His butt along with all the disobedient Christians that follow Him.The Green Collar Worker

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Comment #22 posted by afterburner on August 03, 2005 at 12:29:51 PT

And, Misplaced RCMP Priorities!
CN NT: RCMP Policy Helpful To Crack Dealers In N.W.T.
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1228/a03.html"There's more interest among the Yellowknife drug squad in getting the big guy in Vancouver than in our local drug pushers." The Premier Joe Handley of the Northwest Territories says 
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Comment #21 posted by afterburner on August 03, 2005 at 12:23:32 PT

Meanwhile, the Meth Epidemic Rages On
"And, amid the wreckage [meth], a pressing political debate: are we fighting the wrong drug war [cannabis]?"
--US: Feature Article: America's Most Dangerous Drug 
by David J. Jefferson, Newsweek, (08 Aug 2005) Newsweek United States
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1226/a03.html 

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Comment #20 posted by dongenero on August 03, 2005 at 12:21:26 PT

civil disobedience
Thoreau wrote of it. Many luminaries have written on the subject.It is our civic duty to resist unjust laws in every way possible.Marc Emery is a political prisoner.
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Comment #19 posted by FoM on August 03, 2005 at 12:11:20 PT

Press Release from The Drug Policy Alliance
Canadian Activist Faces Possible U.S. ChargesMarc Emery, head of the British Columbia Marijuana Party, was granted bail in a Vancouver hearing yesterday following his arrest last week as part of a DEA raid.Emery, a marijuana legalization activist who has given financial support to marijuana policy reform efforts in both Canada and the U.S., was indicted by a U.S. grand jury for selling marijuana seeds over the Internet to U.S. consumers. The Drug Enforcement Administration used the indictment to obtain a search warrant, and asked the Vancouver Police Department to conduct a raid on its behalf.The Vancouver police raided Emery’s office and store on Friday, arresting two other marijuana activists in the process. Emery himself was taken into custody in Nova Scotia, where he was slated to speak at a medical marijuana rally.The U.S. DEA is asking Canada to extradite all three activists to the U.S., where they could face trial for three felony conspiracy charges. Each charge – one for manufacturing marijuana, one for distributing seeds, and one for money laundering – carries a possible ten year minimum sentence. Selling seeds is also illegal in Canada, but according to Emery’s lawyer, John Conroy, no one has been prosecuted for selling seeds there in years.Many Canadians are outraged that the U.S. has enlisted Canadian law enforcement to do its dirty work, and see the extradition request as an infringement on Canadian sovereignty. The BC Marijuana Party attributes the DEA’s flexing of muscle to U.S. concern over widespread support in both countries for marijuana reform. The party says in a statement on its website, “This public support for reform has the US government worried. The raids are clearly politically motivated. Vancouver is home to dozens of seed sellers, some on the same block, but only one - Marc Emery - is an outspoken activist for reform.”Activists watching the case are hoping that the BC Supreme Court will deny the request to turn Emery over to the U.S., possibly based on language in Canada’s Extradition Act that prohibits extradition if “the surrender would be unjust or oppressive having regard to all the relevant circumstances.”http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/080305emery.cfm
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Comment #18 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on August 03, 2005 at 12:10:53 PT

Another article about a cop busted for pot
But this one has a twist - the daughter is accused of raising the bail by selling meth!
http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/local_story_215125458.html
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Comment #17 posted by afterburner on August 03, 2005 at 12:10:04 PT

RE the Other 'Charges'
{While selling marijuana seeds in Canada is also a criminal activity, nobody has been prosecuted here for that in approximately a decade, says Emery's lawyer John Conroy. {As for the money-laundering charges, Conroy called them a "bit peculiar." {"I don't know what the basis for that offence is at the moment but presumably they will say the money he received was somehow concealed as being monies of seed sales," said Conroy.} ---Canada: Web: B.C. Pot Activist To Face U.S. Charges http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1225/a10.html
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Comment #16 posted by afterburner on August 03, 2005 at 11:52:09 PT

The WORMS Are Turning
First, The Globe & Mail. Now, The Vancouver Province. Highjack the debate: protest, write, march. "Won't back down!""Certainly, the leader of the B.C. Marijuana Party faces serious charges. He and two others are accused by the U.S. of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana, to distribute marijuana seeds and to engage in money laundering.""conspiracy to manufacture marijuana" What a joke!
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Comment #15 posted by bradbits on August 03, 2005 at 11:32:01 PT:

Marc must have done something right
Here in the US we take our nonsense very seriously. This writer must have a hard time typing with his head stuck so far up, well, I won't go there. I used to think like that too, until I noticed that the government has destroyed medicine, science, education, religion, farming and is working hard to kill our economy. Maybe government isn't your friend.People who fight for positive change are always persecuted. Marc is in good company. Unfortunately he took on the most powerful people on the planet. The herb exposes hipocrisy and the oligarchy that runs the planet know this. That's why it's such a threat to them. How do you dupe people whose eyes have been opened?
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on August 03, 2005 at 11:25:25 PT

Related Article from a Snipped Source
Marijuana Martyr Will Have To Reap What He Has Sown
 
 
The Province Wednesday, August 03, 2005  
 
Vancouver pot activist Marc Emery, arrested last Friday after being indicted by an American grand jury on charges he sold marijuana seeds to folks in the U.S., was later reported by his fiancee to feeling a little scared.And we can understand why: U.S. federal authorities don't pussyfoot around when it comes to the illegal drug trade. Emery, who was granted bail in Vancouver yesterday, knows this. Indeed, he has railed repeatedly against the evils of the U.S.-led drug war.Which is why the Prince of Pot should not be too shocked that he has finally riled up Uncle Sam sufficiently to do something about his mail-order enterprise.Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovince/news/editorial/story.html?id=4aa1e41d-f48f-4cae-a589-b20b32073437
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Comment #13 posted by The GCW on August 03, 2005 at 11:08:31 PT

So the Globe & Mail says,
So the Globe & Mail says,"Marc Emery has only himself to blame."I think the media is partly to blame for not calling governments on the deceitful cannabis issue.Media has been a soldier to governments dirty war on the plant cannabis and the cannabis culture.MARC EMERY CAN BLAME MEDIA!Newspapers have been a key tool of the govs to persecute Us.
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Comment #12 posted by Sam Adams on August 03, 2005 at 09:58:12 PT

What a crock 
This article is a joke. What about that Schindler guy in Nazi Germany? He KNEW he was breaking the law, saving all those Jewish people.  I guess he would have deserved life in prison if the Nazis caught him."In a civilised society, it is the duty of all citizens to obey just laws. But at the same time it is the duty of all citizens to disobey unjust laws."
- Martin Luther King Jr.I love the DEA's little rant on Emery. "he ran his business efficiently" "he was motivated by greed". Are they kidding? The head of every single business in America is motivated by greed! Just go down to Palm Beach in Florida & look at all the $10 million-plus castles being built along the shore - most only to be used for a couple months per year.  The corporate elite in this country work the system to acquire more money than 1 family could ever hope to spend. Yet Emery deserves life in prison for mailing SEEDS to Americans! It's time for the Canadian media to get off their butts & decide if they want to live in their own country, or just be a colony of our corporation, er, country.Last question - what motivated Merck when they continued to push Vioxx on millions for YEARS, knowing that it was literally killing hundreds or thousands of people? 
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Comment #11 posted by afterburner on August 03, 2005 at 09:31:41 PT

'Someone's breaking through the bathroom window.' 
'Quick get a cannabis seed.'LOL, Hope, too funny. I sensed that this article was going to put a negative spin on Marc Emery's activities AND Canadian Sovereignty, so I read the comments first. I was expecting to get angry, but you made me laugh. Thanks, Hope.Alan Young's article was more reasonable. I read the main article last. It hints at the latent prohibitionism that Canadian activists have to deal with daily. We don't need Uncle butting his big nose into Canada. Canada is a Sovereign country. As usual the US government is violating the intent behind laws, in this case the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Act, to forward their insane, unscientific, political, superstitious propaganda war against cannabis. Canada should renounce this law and its connection to any treaty, or renounce the treaty itself until the US government stops violating WTO trade sanction decisions, like Canadian softwood lumber, and discriminating against Canadian beef. Grow a backbone, Paul Martin, or you will find NO support from the cannabis community. Yes, we DO Vote. Do Not believe the US prohibitionist propaganda about lazy slackers. The cannabis community is angry, active and motivated. You have used up all your chances. Stand up for Canada, or Canada will Not stand up for you!
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Comment #10 posted by Hope on August 03, 2005 at 09:09:30 PT

Runruff
No doubt that they would have gotten in an heinous amount of trouble if they had done that...but we would certainly still have them all alive and potentially doing civilization some good.
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Comment #9 posted by runruff on August 03, 2005 at 09:03:50 PT:

Very funny Hope.
Waht if the shooters at Columbine went around throwing
cannabis seeds at everyone? Maybe spitting them thruogh straws. Ooooh. scary.
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Comment #8 posted by b4daylight on August 03, 2005 at 08:48:48 PT

Marc Emery
Well nullification of jury 
will strip them of their powers.
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Comment #7 posted by PainWithNoInsurance on August 03, 2005 at 08:46:21 PT

The DEA is a Heap of Garbage
They are tring to bolldoze their garbage from the U.S. to Canada. This drug war has seperated our country just like the bush administration has done world wide. I don't know what president said it but it is true, "A divided nation cannot stand">
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on August 03, 2005 at 08:45:07 PT

guns and seeds
I believe that guns are a very serious issues. Seeds don't kill people but guns can. Canada doesn't believe in guns and I don't think the UK does either. I think the comparison is to show the rights of the countries to intervene in laws established in their countries more then comparing seeds to guns. It's something readers can relate too. That's how I took it.
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Comment #5 posted by Hope on August 03, 2005 at 08:33:58 PT

guns and seeds
Someone's breaking through the bathroom window. Quick get a cannabis seed.
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Comment #4 posted by unkat27 on August 03, 2005 at 07:45:33 PT

Thin Argument
This article's demonization of Marc Emery for selling seeds 'across the border' gets a little thin when he compares it to smuggling handguns from the US to Canada. I mean, how can someone possibly compare the two crimes as equal without appearing to intentionally exaggerate a minor misdemeanor into a major capital offense? Is this an attempt at dry humor? If it wasn't so serious, I might think so. No, despite the accuracy of its legal points, there's much more to this case than a minor violation of trade laws. They want to fry Emery and completely ransack his estate to make themselves all about a million bucks wealthier (divided how many ways?). It's about money and politics, not just law.
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Comment #3 posted by Zandor on August 03, 2005 at 07:32:48 PT

Just What Did Emery Expect?
He expects his country will protect it citizen's ageist foreign invasion.He expects his country to regulate and enforce the law of their land.He expects his country to honor their constitution as a free nation.He expects his country to not become the 51 statesWelcome to America Inc.

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Comment #2 posted by jose melendez on August 03, 2005 at 07:27:12 PT

LEAP.cc Executive Director Knows Both Sides
from: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1161/a04.html?100212CHANGE OF HEARTIt was on the streets of Paterson (New Jersey) that Jack Cole's epiphany struck.The former state police trooper spent 14 years doing undercover narcotics work in New Jersey. He figures his efforts put 1,000 people behind bars. Some deserved it. But many others, he now says, did not."What makes it hard for me to sleep at night is thinking about how many people would have gone on to have a happy productive life," said Cole, co-founder of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, a nationwide group of hundreds of current and former law enforcement officers who favor legalized regulation of drugs.The group calls the war on drugs a failed policy, arguing that illicit drugs are cheaper, more potent, and easier to obtain than ever. Locking up millions of non-violent drug offenders, Cole says, has done little but help the prison industry grow.While working undercover one night in Paterson in the 1970s, Cole was jumped by a drug dealer and his accomplice. The two men fled after Cole drew his gun.When a good Samaritan came by to help, Cole asked where he could score some drugs. The man said he didn't take drugs but directed the undercover officer to a dealer. Cole later arrested both men.At the city jail, the man who had tried to help Cole said a few words he's never forgotten: "Man, I was just trying to be your friend."Cole had a profound change of heart:"I said at that point, this stuff has gone too far. There's no justice in the drug laws at all. We're arresting the wrong people." 
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on August 03, 2005 at 07:23:58 PT

Related Article from The Globe & Mail
Just Say No To Uncle Sam's DEA***Washington wants to take over the prosecution of those who flout Canada's marijuana laws. Ottawa should tell it to butt out, says law professor Alan Young.Wednesday, August 3, 2005 Page A17 
 On July 27, in Halifax, RCMP officers arrested Marc Emery, Canada's self-styled "Prince of Pot," after a U.S. federal grand jury indicted him on charges of conspiracy to distribute marijuana seeds, conspiracy to distribute marijuana and conspiracy to engage in money laundering. Mr. Emery, who ran a lucrative marijuana seed business, may not be everyone's idea of a hero, but many Canadians are outraged by the Americans waging their war on drugs within our borders.There is little doubt that Mr. Emery's seeds found their way into the hands of eager U.S. pot-smokers, and U.S. drug agents had a legitimate concern about the prince's business activities. However, this concern should have led to a request that Canadian police enforce our existing laws to sanction Mr. Emery. Instead, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency asked Canadian police to execute a wide-ranging search warrant in Mr. Emery's home town, Vancouver, and to deliver him and other Canadian marijuana activists to be prosecuted in the land of mandatory minimum punishments.From the Canadian perspective, Mr. Emery's constant flouting of our marijuana laws were tolerated and his activities seen as part and parcel of our continuing debate over marijuana law reform. I recognize that the sale of viable cannabis seeds appears to be a crime both in Canada and the United States, and that there may be a legal basis for seeking extradition as these seeds found their way onto U.S. soil. But I'm deeply concerned about subjecting a Canadian citizen to the draconian laws of a foreign nation when we don't bother charging this person for violating our laws. A Canadian citizen is now exposed to U.S. drug sentences which border on cruel and unusual punishment -- for violating a law we rarely enforce in Canada.Mr. Emery has publicly boasted about the size of his enterprise ("I sell four million seeds a year") and the DEA claims that he makes about $3-million a year from his seed sales. But the Americans fail to mention that much of this money has been funnelled into legal challenges, compassion clubs, drug treatment centres and political activism. Mr. Emery is not the kingpin of some British Columbian cartel, breaking the law for personal gain; rather, he is an activist who has flouted the law as a political statement and in order to acquire resources to change the law. Had he had been prosecuted and convicted under Canadian law, he would probably receive a fine and a short prison term. It's unlikely that U.S. courts will respect or understand the political context of Mr. Emery's alleged criminality. In many aspects of criminal-justice policy, the differences between Canada and the United States have grown exponentially. When we extradite to the United States, we must recognize that we are sending someone to a very different legal and political culture. In Canada we have a medical-marijuana program in which patients can lawfully use marijuana; in Oklahoma, an army vet who grew pot to cope with his own crippling arthritis was sentenced to 90 years in prison.In dealing with the Americans, we must take care that mutual legal assistance does not become legal domination, as has the U.S. war on drugs in Latin America. The DEA's pursuit of the Prince of Pot isn't the first instance of Canada's deferring to U.S. drug-law enforcement policy. One summer day in 2004, an off-duty Vancouver policeman was driving near Hope, B.C., when he was stopped by a Texas state trooper. Constable David Laing, annoyed by the involvement of Texans on a Canadian highway, refused to submit to a random drug search. A minute later, he was stopped by another trooper and an RCMP officer, who did a thorough search (they found no marijuana). Mr. Laing went to his lawyers; his civil suit was settled out of court. The Texans later explained that they were taking part in a training-exchange program with the RCMP. Although the Texas program is unconstitutional by Canadian standards, our law enforcement officials were somehow convinced that there was much to be learned by letting U.S. officials violate the rights of Canadians on Canadian soil. Imposing American values, including attitudes towards drugs, on the global village can only harm the U.S. in the long-term, by fuelling a growing anti-American sentiment. In the case of the Prince of Pot, I hope that Canada's Minister of Justice will exercise his discretion to block this extradition if a court finds the request to be technically proper. At a minimum, Irwin Cotler should refuse to extradite unless an undertaking is provided that Mr. Emery won't be subjected to the cruel minimum sentences if convicted in a U.S. court. Mutuality dictates that the Americans show some respect for our legal and political values, as we do for theirs. But we must show backbone to resist U.S. efforts to enforce their drug laws on our soil.Alan Young, an associate professor of law at Osgoode Hall, has done legal work for Marc Emery in the past. He is the author of Justice Defiled: Perverts, Potheads, Serial Killers and Lawyers.http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050803/CODOPE03/TPComment/TopStories

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