[medpot]

My pleasure Glenda, and THANKS so much for your GREAT letter!

Marc

Glenda, on Oct 29 2009, 03:15 PM, said:

medpot, on Oct 29 2009, 05:29 AM, said:

medpot, on Oct 28 2009, 09:39 AM, said:

Perhaps this is the same Glenda we have as a member on our board?

This is an excellent letter - THANKS Glenda!


Marc

You bet its me, Marc!

Thanks for posting this; I had given up on this letter being printed after sending it on October 4th to the Minister of Justice, my MP and the newspaper.

[medpot]

The Nanaimo Daily News

Letters to the Editor: letters@nanaimodailynews.com


Ours & Yours


Marc Emery deserved his punishment in prison


Connor Whelan, The Daily News
Published: Saturday, October 31, 2009


There is no threat to law-abiding Canadian citizens and nothing to be disturbed about.

It is not about Canada being a "sovereign nation" or "American bullying."

Marc Emery was the author of his own fate.

He openly and brazenly, over a protracted period of time, flouted U.S. drug laws and policies. To make matters worse he couldn't keep his mouth shut about it.

It was analogous to waving a red cape in front of a bull. Emery committed an extraditable offence that did not involve the death penalty, and Canada was obliged to co-operate. When it came time to pay the piper, Emery showed his true colours while trying to hide behind the border as if were an impenetrable wall that he thought he could continue his illegal activities and mouth epithets against the U.S. from with impunity.

Then there were the attempts to wrangle a deal to serve his time at Club Fed Canada. Wrong. Lose turn. Go to straight to (U.S.) prison.

Marc Emery is nothing more than a self-promoting businessman in an illegal business who finally got what he was asking for. Too bad it took so long.

Too bad it took the U.S. justice system to do it.

Connor Whelan

Ladysmith




© The Daily News (Nanaimo) 2009

[medpot]

News1130.com


Marc Emery could be extradited any day

Waiting in Lower Mainland pre-trial centre


Sonia Aslam/Dean Recksiedler VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) 2009-11-01 10:48



(News1130 Photo)


VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - He's waiting for a five year jail term. The prince of pot, is sitting tight until he's extradited to the United States.

Since surrendering in September, Marc Emery has been waiting at the North Fraser pre-trial centre -- a maximum security facility. A justice minister has to sign extradition papers to send Emery south, which still hasn't been done.

His wife Jodie tells News1130 there's a chance she won't be able to see Marc once he's in the U.S. "If a border guard wants to look up my name and see that I've used marijuana and I'm a marijuana activist it can refuse to allow me in the country as an 'undesirable citizen.' I'm sure it will be a nerve wracking time if I go to try and visit him or even when he's being sentenced."

Jodie says she keeps busy by working on the Free Marc campaign, running their business and possibly running for political office.

[S^N]

The Nanaimo Daily News

Letters to the Editor: letters@nanaimodailynews.com

Letter


We should not abdicate right to protect citizens


Ethan Erkiletian, The Daily News
Published: Tuesday, November 03, 2009


Re: 'Marc Emery deserved his punishment in prison' (Your Letters, Daily News, Oct. 31)

After reading the piece from Conner Whelan of Ladysmith, I had to think about what he was saying. The letter seems to ignore some very important aspects of the case of Marc Emery, our very own Prince of Pot and his extradition for selling cannabis seeds.

Mr. Whelan says that this is not about sovereignty but it certainly is. When faced with the prospect of one of our citizens being claimed by a foreign nation to face a standard of justice that is so greatly different than our own, it is a matter of sovereignty to rightly claim that our laws must take priority. Should our standard of justice be insufficient to punish some one for a crime, it is up to our lawmakers to change the standard. Applying a foreign standard of justice to a citizen in and of our own land at the request of a foreign power is an abdication of our sovereign jurisdiction over citizenship and domestic law.

Mr. Whelan also mentions that compounding Mr Emery's fate was the fact that he was open in flaunting American laws. Our voice is suppose to be our own and if this should subject one to a harsher standard of justice than those who keep their mouths shut, I would dare our law makers to create a standard of justice that punishes those who speak before those who do not. This is a terrible attempt at justifying a punishment that should never have been undertaken.

Mr. Whelan also attempts to paint Emery as a coward hiding from American justice officials claiming his rights of Canadian citizenship. Seeking protection from the lawmakers sworn to protect him, asking the domestic authorities take justice into their own hands in their own realm and continuing to speak brazenly and without apology for his convictions is far from cowardly. A coward would have run, shut up and begged for forgiveness. It would be a coward who would accept an unjust punishment in hope for a small bit of leniency. Emery did not do this. Emery never backed down from his convictions.

Emery may not deserve admiration for some of his traits but I am certainly not ready to call him a coward as Mr. Whelan so passively managed to do. I am also not ready to abdicate our responsibility to protect Canadian citizens from even our allies should our allies seek something from us that is a blatantly different standard of justice from our own.


Ethan Erkiletian

Saskatoon



© The Daily News (Nanaimo) 2009

[medpot]

S^N, on Nov 3 2009, 11:46 AM, said:

The Nanaimo Daily News

Letters to the Editor: letters@nanaimodailynews.com


Emery case about rule of law and not sovereignty


Connor Whelan, The Daily News
Published: Saturday, November 07, 2009


Re: 'We should not abdicate right to protect citizens' (Daily News, Nov. 3)

In rebuttal to Ethan Erkiletian's specious argument that Marc Emery's case does have to do with Canada's sovereignty it is abundantly clear that Erkiletian and those who share his view choose to ignore the simple facts.

They are that Emery committed an extradictable offence that does not involve the death penalty.

Therefore, as I plainly said before, Canada was obliged to extradite Emery.

If Canada were to start cherry-picking crimes to ignore in the face of existing extradition treaties it would lead to chaos.

If Erkiletian, et al, don't like that then it is they who must convince a lawmakers to change Canada's extradition laws not the other way around as Erkiletian suggests.

That Emery is some kind of hero for "not backing down from his convictions" ignores the fact that he was only brave in his convictions so long as he could stand on the other side of the proverbial fence and shout at them from the safety of home plate, or so he thought.

When confronted with the prospect of extradition for violating American law, he then looked to the his home state, which he also openly defied, to protect him.

Not illegal but a tad hypocritical I would say particularly for a hero.

If he were a man of conviction, why didn't he simply step across the border to mouth his convictions and conduct his business in the U.S.?

The answer is because he knew what he was doing was illegal and a violation of U.S. law yet he continued to violate U.S. law with a sense of impunity.

I maintain my position that Emery is nothing more than a self-promoting businessman who is the author of his own misery.

Connor Whelan

Ladysmith




© The Daily News (Nanaimo) 2009

[Afka]

Quote

If Canada were to start cherry-picking crimes to ignore in the face of existing extradition treaties it would lead to chaos.

What was that thing about the illegal polar-bear skin rug exporter who was denied extradition?

[medpot]

Western Standard

(Note: You may post a comment by clicking on the link above - below article)


Monday, November 09, 2009

Libby Davies restates opposition to extradition of Marc Emery


NDP MP Libby Davies has a lot to offer civil libertarians.

Western Standard blogger, free speech champion and social conservative Paul Tuns wrote disapprovingly here of Davies’ efforts to legalize prostitution, a policy that libertarians, by contrast, support. In fact, I’ve personally written in support of the legalization of prostitution here and here.

Davies is also a champion of drug policy reform. She’s a strong advocate for harm reduction and has publicly opposed the extradition of publisher and libertarian activist Marc Emery, who awaits extradition to the U.S. on charges related to selling marijuana seeds.

Davies continues to be an advocate in parliament for Emery. On October 2, 2009, in an open letter to Justice Minister Rob Nicholson, Davies wrote:

I write once again to ask that you stop the extradition of Canadian Marc Emery to the United States and allow him to serve his prison sentence in Canada.

Canadian law enforcement officials have for a decade ignored Mr. Emery’s well publicized activities. I have expressed to you on many occasions my vehement opposition to sending Mr. Emery or any Canadian to face harsh punishment in another country when we have agreed as a society that these actions are not worthy of prosecution in Canada. Yet, your government has refused to intervene on Mr. Emery’s behalf and he will now serve a five year prison term in the United States.

It is my understanding that the United States government will allow Mr. Emery to remain in Canada to serve his sentence if the Government of Canada agrees. I therefore urge you to act in best the interest of this Canadian citizen and in the interest of Canadian sovereignty and allow Mr. Emery to serve his sentence in Canada.

I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible on this urgent matter.

While I disagree with Davies more than I agree with her, she has shown courage and intelligence on issues important to libertarians.

NDP leader Jack Layton has also expressed his opposition to the extradition of Marc Emery. You can read his comments here, courtesy of Jacob Hunter.

Posted by Matthew Johnston

Posted by Western Standard on November 9, 2009

[medpot]

Jodie Emery November 13, 2009


November 13, 2009

http://www.cannabisculture.com/ http://whyprohibition.ca/
Jodie brings us up to date on what's happening with Marc, as wetry to get him out on bail. Also news about the vigil, outside his prison and more.

[Miranda]

Thanks for the update Marc.

My heart as always goes out to Jodie and my admiration from our first meeting only grows.

[medpot]

My pleasure Miranda!

I'll post more Marc Emery updates when available.


Marc

[medpot]

medpot, on Oct 31 2009, 09:40 AM, said:

'Marc Emery deserved his punishment in prison'

Nanaimo Daily News

Letters to the editor: letters@nanaimodailynews.com

Letter

Marc Emery should have been protected here


Kirk Tousaw, The Daily News
Published: Tuesday, November 17, 2009


Re: 'Marc Emery deserved his punishment in prison' (Daily News, Oct. 31)

The point that Connor Whelan misses in his letter is that Emery was not targeted for extradition because of his illegal activity.

There are dozens of marijuana seed sellers in the U.S., Canada and across the world who sell seeds in America then and now.

In fact, a larger seed broker in Quebec was arrested right around the same time as Emery for the exact same conduct -- internet sales into America.

When conducting a search, authorities found $250,000 in gold buried in the backyard.

By contrast, Mr. Emery had less than $1,000 in the bank when he was arrested.

That's because Emery was not in it for the money. He donated all of the profits to various marijuana policy reform groups and projects. And that, not his actual crime, is why he was extradited.

On the day of his arrest the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency crowed, in a press release, about cutting off the funding to marijuana legalization groups.

This was and is a political persecution, not a criminal prosecution.

And that's why Canada should refuse to surrender Emery.

The Quebec seed merchant? Prosecuted in Canada, with no extradition sought. Waving a flag in front of a bull? No, more like sitting in the front of the bus when the driver, and the law, says you belong in the back.

Kirk Tousaw

Mill Bay




© The Daily News (Nanaimo) 2009

[medpot]

Metro News Vancouver

Letters to the Editor


Emery out on bail till extradition



JEFF HODSON
METRO VANCOUVER
November 18, 2009 2:35 a.m.


B.C.’s Prince of Pot has been granted bail and could temporarily be released from jail as early as today as he continues to await extradition to the U.S. to plead guilty to selling marijuana seeds.

Marc Emery has been held at the North Surrey Pre-Trial Centre in Port Coquitlam since turning himself over to authorities on Sept. 28.

He anticipated the extradition process would take 30 days, but his lawyer, Ian Donaldson, is ill with pleurisy and has been unable to file submissions.

“It’s a maximum-security facility and it’s been seven weeks,” said Jodie Emery, Marc’s wife. “He thought if he could get out for a week or two, or even a day, he would do it.”

He has promised to surrender to U.S. custody within 72 hours after an extradition order is signed, which could happen as soon as Dec. 1, which is the final day for submissions.

Jodie Emery said jail has been tough on her husband. The food is awful and he doesn’t get any sunlight. He is locked in his cell for 18 hours a day on weekdays and 20 hours a day on weekends.

“We’re going to get some healthy food and just enjoy our time together.”

[OttCanuk]

It's nice to see good news like this.

Don

[Poter Principle]

A temporary reprieve. I hope it's good for them.

peace and pot

[TravE]

I'm happy for Marc and Jodie. A small oasis of happiness in these toughest of times.

[medpot]

Metro News Vancouver

Letters to the Editor


Prince of Pot temporarily let out of jail



STIG NIELSEN
FOR METRO VANCOUVER
November 19, 2009 2:10 a.m.



Stig Nielsen/for Metro Vancouver
Jodie and Marc Emery, at Mr. Pickwick’s on Denman Street,
enjoy their first meal together since Marc was temporarily
released from jail yesterday. The marijuana activist, facing
extradition to the U.S., is free for at least two weeks on a
$50,000 bail bond.


Marc Emery, self-proclaimed Prince of Pot and marijuana activist, was released from jail temporarily yesterday as he awaits his extradition to the United States.

“It was a difficult experience because it is maximum security, so that you don’t get outside and you don’t get far from your eight by 10 (jail cell) ... But I wrote some good material and read a lot,” he said.

Emery is free on a $50,000 bail bond.

He is to be sent to Seattle where he will be sentenced for selling marijuana seeds ordered over the Internet to Americans.

He said the experience toughened him up for an American jail.

“The isolation would get to me know and then, but the thing about prison is it’s very well run by guards who are very professional.”

[medpot]

The Nanaimo Daily News

Letters to the Editor: letters@nanaimodailynews.com


Wife of B.C.'s 'prince of pot' speaks at VIU


The Daily News
Published: Thursday, November 19, 2009


Vancouver Island University's Hempology Club presents Jodie Emery on Nov. 28. Emery is the wife of Canada's self-proclaimed "Prince of Pot," Marc Emery, who is in custody waiting to be extradited to the U.S. where he is to serve up to five years in prison for shipping marijuana seeds across the border.

Jodie Emery's presentation begins at noon in Building 200, room 203.

For more information, e-mail viu.hempo@gmail.com.



© The Daily News (Nanaimo) 2009

[Glenda]

I just sent a copy of my letter to the Justice Minister to Marc Emery, and realized that the LTE that was published was seriously edited. In case anyone is interested, here is my original letter, which I copied to my MP and the newspaper.

To the Honourable Robert Nicholson,

I am greatly disturbed at the threat to our citizens that has been demonstrated by the failure of the Canadian justice system to stand up against the demands of American bullying. Are we not a sovereign nation, a nation with a reputation for compassion and justice?

The issue in question is the cooperation of the Canadian authorities in the investigation and extradition of Marc Emery to the U.S. Mr. Emery did not commit a crime in Canada, nor did he visit the U.S. to commit a crime there. We have a duty to protect our citizens, and not abandon them to an imperialist nation demanding that all nations comply with their demands.

The precedent set by this case is absolutely shocking, and something I would never have believed could happen in our great nation. It seems that when it comes to cannabis, we allow the Americans to rule our policies. I have no doubt that if we had not forsaken our power, that possession and cultivation cannabis in small amounts would be legal at this point.

Do we want to emulate this brooding bully to the south of our border that imprisons a greater proportion of its population than any other nations? Do we want to criminalize valuable citizens who use marijuana medically or to relax - doing no harm to others? Do we want to continue to impose the costs of enforcing prohibition on our strained budgets while we support criminals and gangs by creating a black market for a medicinal herb that has never caused a death? In the meantime, violence and murder become a threat to the safety of our citizens because of the illegal and highly profitable industry created by our absurd laws.

When will the insanity stop?

I suggest we begin by not succumbing to bullying, and safeguarding our citizen, Marc Emery. The second step would be to pay attention to our own government commissions which have favoured legalization for many years.

Please help me to be proud of my country, and to have respect for laws that protect the common good, rather than nourish the criminal system.

I would greatly appreciate a response on this. At least it would indicate that someone is listening to the citizens of our nation. I have copied my Member of Parliament on this, but since he has failed to ever respond to anything form me, his copy is a mere formality.

I appeal to your humanity and sense of justice in this issue,
Glenda Allard Barr
Lantzville, BC

“If the people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny.”



- Thomas Jefferson

[papapuff]

Canada.com



Emery trial is about freedom, not cannibis


By Glenda Allard Barr, The Daily News
November 24, 2009

At noon on Saturday, Jodie Emery, wife of Marc Emery will be speaking at Vancouver Island University and there will be a viewing of The U.S. vs. Marc Emery.

At this point, it looks as if Marc will also be there, since he is out on bail awaiting extradition to the U.S.

This has been presented as a cannabis-related event.

As I see it, the most compelling issue here is Canadian sovereignty. Our government chooses to let the U.S. control our policies and in this case, the freedom of one of our citizens.

This is frightening.

If we do not make our feelings known to our politicians, that we want a nation that is governed according to the wishes of its citizens rather than the whims of a foreign power, we are abandoning fellow citizens and our own principles.

Those who feel strongly about preserving Canadian control over our laws and our people can come out to building 200, room 203 to show support for this cause.

Information about this event is available at viu.hempo@gmail.com.

Glenda Allard Barr

Lantzville

[papapuff]

Western Standard (blog)

Tuesday, November 24, 2009


Tommy Chong sports Free Marc Emery t-shirt everywhere


Canadian Tommy Chong, of Cheech and Chong fame, has started to don a Free Marc Emery t-shirt (which you can purchase here) for his television appearances.

Marc Emery, dubbed the "Prince of Pot" by the Seattle Times and popularized by CNN, is out on bail, awaiting his penultimate extradition to the United States to face a five-year prison term for selling marijuana seeds over the internet.

Many Canadians and Americans are outraged by the efforts of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency to extradite Emery. Similarly, many are surprised and dismayed at the failure of the Canadian political establishment to speak out in defense of a fellow Canadian.

Here's Chong on Bill O'Reilly:



And here he is on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon:




Posted by P.M. Jaworski on November 24, 2009

[medpot]

papapuff, on Nov 24 2009, 02:01 PM, said:

Great letter Glenda - THANKS!!


Marc

[medpot]

Western Standard


Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Tommy Chong in Calgary


Western Standard editor Peter Jaworski noted here that Tommy Chong, the leading man of the stoner comedy genre, is publicly supporting Canadian libertarian activist and publisher Marc Emery from South of the border.

Emery is currently on bail in Canada awaiting extradition to the U.S. on charges related to selling marijuana seeds and for supporting “marijuana legalization groups active in the United States and Canada,” according to a DEA press release on the day on his arrest.

Chong is showing his support for Emery in the U.S. by wearing a “Free Marc Emery” t-shirt on the Bill O’Reilly and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon shows.

I’m hoping to see Chong in this t-shirt again when he is in Calgary on December 6, 2009 for a charitable fundraiser in support of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, the Diabetes Association (Foothills) and the Project Warmth Society of Alberta.

Tommy Chong will be reuniting with his old band “The Calgary Shades” at The Ranchman's Cookhouse & Dancehall. You can learn more about the event here.

Posted by Matthew Johnston on November 25, 2009

[S^N]

The National Post

Letters to the Editor


Letter


Canadians should serve prison time in Canada


National Post Published: Friday, November 27, 2009


Re: Legislation To Stop Foreign Crimes Being Served In Canada, Nov. 26.

It's worrisome to read that the Conservative government is introducing legislation to make it harder for Canadian prisoners abroad to be transferred to Canada to serve their time at home.

My husband, Marc Emery, is the leader of the BC Marijuana Party and a long-time political activist who is being extradited to the United States to serve a five-year prison term in the U.S. federal system. His "crime" was selling marijuana seeds in Canada, which the government endorsed and collected taxes on for a decade.

Even though Marc never went to the United States, the Canadian government and police conspired with U.S. authorities to have him charged there with what could have been a life sentence. My husband should have been charged and sentenced in Canada, just as others who did the same "crime" have been.

Shame on the government for this legislation, which is a slap in the face of any Canadian who values our Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Canadian citizenship. Marc will apply for a prison transfer once he begins his sentence and I hope that he will be able to come home to serve his time.


Jodie Emery, Vancouver.

[medpot]

Part 1 Marc Emery Out on Bail Interview HD

Jason0930
November 28, 2009

In this video Jason and Mr.Cannabis go to see Marc in the Surrey max security corrections facility. Where Marc was awaiting to be transfered to US authorities once Canada finishes selling him out! .




Part 2 Marc Emery - Out on Bail - Interview HD.mpg



Part 3 of 3 Marc Emery - Out on Bail - Interview HD.mpg

[medpot]

The Nanaimo Daily News

Letters to the Editor: letters@nanaimodailynews.com


Pot crusader speaks to VIU club


Walter Cordery, The Daily News
Published: Monday, November 30, 2009


The wife of Canada's "Prince of Pot" admits she is terrified when the phone rings when her husband isn't home because it's often bad news.

Marijuana crusader and advocate Marc Emery has often had to call his wife Jodie from a police detachment as he has been arrested for flouting Canada's marijuana laws. The Emerys dread a phone call they believe could come as early as Tuesday from their lawyer, telling them Canadian Justice Minister Rob Nicholson has signed extradition papers and Marc must turn himself in to Canadian authorities.

Following that, he will be taken to the United States border and turned over to American authorities so he can begin serving a five-year jail term for selling marijuana seeds in America.

The Emerys were in Nanaimo on Saturday at Vancouver Island University, where they spoke to approximately 50 people -- in a smoke-free room -- before the showing of the video The U.S. vs Marc Emery. They were the guests of VIU's Hempology Club.

The couple contends that the Canadian government is starting to follow what they call the "misguided" approach of the U.S.

"The American war on drugs has led to U.S. jails being full of people who just wanted the freedom to use marijuana," said Marc. "The (Stephen) Harper government is bringing in the Americanization of our justice system and the opposition isn't doing anything to prevent it because they are scared of being labelled 'soft on crime.'"

The "threat" to society is not the marijuana seeds Emery sold through his Cannabis Culture magazine.

"Be much more afraid of the Harper government than seed sellers or pot growers," said Jodie.

She cited the Conservative government's efforts to bring in mandatory minimum sentences and the proposed Bill C-6, the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, as the real threat to "free-thinking" Canadians.

"This bill would give the government the right to come on your property if they suspect you are growing cannabis or even ginseng and it's all under the guise of safety," said Jodie. "What it is really about is control. The only reason government and laws exist is to stop you from doing something you might want to do and they don't want you to do or to make you do something that you don't want to do."

The couple were scornful of the Canadian government's decision to turn Marc over to U.S. authorities so he could serve his negotiated five-year sentence south of the border.

"If it's illegal to sell seeds in Canada, which it is," said Marc, "then you should be charged, tried, convicted and sentenced to a Canadian prison."

When asked why he agreed to enter into a plea bargain with U.S. prosecutors, Marc said it was either that or risk spending a lot more time in prison.

"When you are facing life and they offer you a deal for five years, you make the deal.

"It will be really difficult when we get the call from Marc's lawyer telling us it is time for Marc to turn himself in."

WCordery@nanaimodailynews.com

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

We want to hear from you. Send your comments on this story to

letters@nanaimodailynews.com. Letters must include your first and last names, your hometown and a daytime phone number.




© The Daily News (Nanaimo) 2009

[medpot]

Western Standard

Letters to the Editor


Marc Emery vs. Roman Polanski: A tale of two extraditions


Canadian libertarian publisher and activist Marc Emery faces extradition to the U.S. on charges related to selling marijuana seeds. Movie director Roman Polanski faces extradition to the U.S. on charges related to drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl. While the Canadian government refuses to protect its own peaceful, productive natural-born citizen from extradition, Polanski’s adopted country of France is fighting to keep this confessed sex offender from facing the U.S. justice system.

Peter Jaworski & Dr. Michael Wagner - November 30, 2009

Marc Emery is a quintessential citizen-activist. That is the message one gets from his life so far. Although he has had occasional run-ins with Canadian authorities over his marijuana activism, the worst punishment he experienced before his current arrest was two months in jail. For the most part, Emery was left alone, generating tax revenue for the government and employing numerous people through his publishing and retail businesses. He wasn’t harming anyone, so there was no urgency to deal with him.

Emery’s case contrasts sharply with another extradition case that has been in the news recently. On September 26, 2009, two days before Emery was taken into custody to await extradition to the U.S. on charges related to selling marijuana seeds online, world-renowned movie director Roman Polanski was arrested by Swiss police in Zurich. The Swiss picked him up because of a 1978 U.S. arrest warrant. In 1977 Polanski had drugged and raped a 13-year-old girl in Hollywood. Polanski admitted to the crime but subsequently fled to France to avoid a severe American jail term. He could not be extradited from France. Switzerland, however, has an extradition treaty with the U.S. When Polanski arrived in Switzerland, he was met with an arrest at the hands of the Swiss authorities.

Polanski has received support from many prominent American entertainment personalities as well as French politicians including President Nicolas Sarkozy. They do not believe he should be extradited to the U.S. to face the consequences of his crime. Their opposition to Polanski’s extradition, however, is entirely different from the opposition to Marc Emery’s extradition.

For one thing, Polanski committed a heinous crime. Raping a child is clearly execrable and leaves a very identifiable victim. Selling marijuana seeds isn’t obviously a crime, and is only made to be one through legislation. Furthermore, there were no “victims” of Emery’s crime. No one claims to have been harmed by him, and no one has urged the government to punish him. Canadians, for the most part, find him interesting, admirable, and entertaining. They do not think of him as someone deserving a stint in a prison.

Polanski was actually in the U.S. when he committed his crime, whereas Emery was always in Canada. Polanski can be sent back to the place where he perpetrated his crime. Emery can’t be sent “back” to the U.S. because he wasn’t there in the first place. Polanski was a fugitive from justice, but Emery did not run away from anyone and operated his marijuana seed business openly and transparently. Emery even paid income taxes from being a "marijuana seed vendor," an occupation he volunteered on his tax forms.

Generally speaking, extradition is a good thing. Criminals should not be able to escape the consequences of their crimes simply by moving from one country to another. In this respect extradition can play an important role in achieving justice. But Marc Emery hasn't tried to escape from anyone. He isn't running away from the consequences of his actions. In fact, he was openly and publicly declaring what he was doing and why. Being open and honest was part of his political strategy to liberalize Canada’s laws toward marijuana.

Emery's case isn't like Polanski's case at all. Polanski seriously harmed another person and then ran away to avoid punishment. Emery was openly promoting a particular political goal without any attempts to conceal his purpose or his methods. The distinction between the two couldn't be starker. This comparison helps to bring into focus the proper and improper use of extradition. It's clear that Polanski should be extradited to the U.S.; it's not clear that Emery should be extradited. In fact, taking a broad view of the situation, it is not merely unfair that Emery would be sent there for activities carried out in Canada; it's unjust.

Peter Jaworski and Dr. Michael Wagner are co-authors of Seeds of Liberty: The Marc Emery Story.

[Glenda]

re: Pot crusader speaks to VIU club
Walter Cordery, The Daily News
Published: Monday, November 30, 2009

Here are the comments posted online regarding this story:

COMMENTS ON THIS STORY
Add Your Comment
Wade Edmunds
Mon, Nov 30, 09 at 11:21 AM
Well I think that the Harper govt is pretty much selling out to US pressures. I was always taught in School that we were an entity unto ourselves. Not an extension of the US. I mean come on we beat them in a little war years ago, so why are the powers that be so afraid of disturbing or saying NO to the US? Marc, I am truly sorry that our Country has sold you out. Maybe when we are enthrall to the US powers people will stand up and finally say, "What the hell?" but as you know it will be too little too late. Well I hope that the call never comes and the pressure people have placed on the Canadian Govt will help keep you out....good luck and remember there are people (True Canadians) who not only support you but wish you well.
Medicinal User
Mon, Nov 30, 09 at 12:19 PM
Sign Marks petition to support him. The government will give you crack pipes but you can't buy seeds to grow pot. Marajuana has documented medicinal uses for almost 5000 years.
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http://www2.canada.com/nanaimodailynews/ne...84-bc38eb055787

It would be good to see some more feedback on this page!

Glenda

[Poter Principle]

2 watts:

The hoped for protesting to short circuit the extradition never materialized.

One letter, one phone call, one petition signature, one friend you tell who does the same. Why is that so difficult?

Tough economic times are an excuse and a reason. Some genuinely can't afford to demonstrate for their dwindling civil liberties, if they even knew they were being eroded by this bogus proceeding.

Prohibition will buckle under economic pressure. That's what knocked out US alcohol prohibition. Bread lines where people are free to pass joints might be upon us sooner than we might think, and is that a fair trade off?


peace and pot

[medpot]

medpot, on Nov 30 2009, 08:41 AM, said:

'Pot crusader speaks to VIU club'

The Nanaimo Daily News

Letters to the Editor: letters@nanaimodailynews.com


Letter

Proposed bill will fill our overcrowded jails


Jake Jordan, The Daily News
Published: Wednesday, December 02, 2009


Re: 'Pot crusader speaks to VIU club' (Daily News, Nov. 30)

Free Marc Emery, say no to proposed Bill C-6 the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act.

The (Stephen) Harper government is just provoking "The Canadian War on Drugs" which will generate a lot more jobs in Canada sure -- in the form of prison guards and corrections officers. We don't need our country filled with overcrowded jails just because tens of thousands of people enjoy the recreational use of marijuana.


Jake Jordan

Errington




© The Daily News (Nanaimo) 2009

[papapuff]

Excerpt


Vancouver Courier


JOINT EXERCISE

The city is attempting to be one of the greenest in the world, so I'm surprised no one has considered a "green" alternative to generating revenue and avoiding budget cuts.

Why not temporarily turn the Bloedel Conservatory over to the Prince of Pot, Marc Emery.

The conditions are ideal for growing B.C.'s most lucrative export and Emery could spend the rest of his prison sentence under house arrest right here at home, with tours offered daily. Proceeds from the cash crop could maintain the Stanley Park petting zoo, the street trees program and the city's community centres.

And once enough cash has been raised to replace the dome on the conservatory, it could be reverted back to its original use. A win-win for everyone.

sthomas@vancourier.com


Dec 09 2009, 08:49 PM by sthomas10

[papapuff]

Wetaskiwin Times Advertiser

Wednesday, December 9, 2009


Pothead needs support


Posted By Brian Johnson/Wingham, Ont.


Dear Editor:


The time has come to legalize marijuana, tax it, and create a few hundred thousand jobs. Marc Emery is currently waiting to see if we will let the US extradite him, to face a possible life sentence for selling seeds on the internet.

Forty-four per cent of Canadians have admitted to smoking weed, leading to the obvious conclusion that millions of Canadians possess marijuana seeds. If you mailed a couple seeds to your friend in the U.S. in a Christmas card, should you face a possible life sentence in prison?

Marc Emery should get a noble peace prize for his work.

He has helped alleviate much pain and suffering.

He has given people the means to grow their own medical marijuana so they don't have to interact with drug dealers.

Many "Mom and Pop" grow operations were started with his seeds, reducing the market share of organized crime, and their profits.

Many cancer patients can't afford medical marijuana in the U.S. but can afford seeds, the same as in Canada.

People have used his seeds to grow marijuana for compassion clubs, some of which gave it away freely to chemotherapy patients.

Marc's seeds have helped many family farms.

When pork and beef prices crashed, some farmers were loosing money, trying to keep food on our tables. Some turned to growing marijuana as a means of survival.

For his contribution in taxes, and the huge amount he has given to charities, the pain and suffering that has been eased, are we will really going let the U.S. government extradite him? One of our legendary heroes?

Sadly I doubt he will get the Peace Prize, it isn't like he sent thousands of troops off to war.

The 6797 Proposal (6797.com ) recommends making labour intensive services tax deductible, small market media tax credit, legalizing and taxing marijuana and not letting the U.S. extradite Marc Emery for a possible life sentence.

To help get our message out, we have created an activist portal, where Canadians can make their voices heard (more features coming soon), available at 6797.com/portal.php

We would all like the power to deny certain businesses/industries the right to exist based on our own personal morals/beliefs, banks come to mind.

The reality is marijuana has been around for thousands of years and won't go away any time soon.

Do we really want to keep spending millions of dollars on marijuana prohibition, or would society be better served by regulating the industry, taxing it, keeping people safe and creating jobs?

Support Marc Emery at www.NoExtradition.net

[medpot]

The London Free Press

Letters to the Editor


Saturday, December 19, 2009

Letter

Marc Emery case a travesty


This is truly an unjust world when you can go to prison for life, for sending seeds to another country, but if you send troops, you get a Nobel Peace Prize.

Do we really need a foreign government stepping in and disciplining one of our citizens, for something as trivial as selling seeds on the Internet?

As a nation we should be ashamed of the way we have treated Marc Emery.

The man has paid his taxes, given to charity and helped untold thousands of medical marijuana users.

It disgusts me the lack of attention the media is giving this issue. The U.S. is trying to take one of our citizens. He broke no Canadian laws!

Emery is facing a life sentence in a U.S. facility. Honestly, has handing people over to foreign powers really been working for us lately?

Please take the time to contact the justice minister of Canada, Rob Nicholson, at NichoR@parl.gc.ca and Prime Minister Stephen Harper at HarpeS@parl.gc.ca and let then know it is wrong to extradite Emery to the U.S.

We must stop this extradition. Who's next?

Brian Johnson

Wingham

[medpot]

Georgia Straight, B.C.

Letters to the Editor: letters@straight.com


December 30, 2009

Upbeat Marc Emery on way to jail


By Carlito Pablo



Marc Emery claims Canadian officials conspired
to extradite him to the U.S.


Canada’s Prince of Pot finds great irony in his pending extradition south of the border.

“They’re going to legalize marijuana in California, in Nevada, and much of the United States very soon,” Marc Emery noted in a phone interview with the Georgia Straight. “It’s quite possible I’ll be incarcerated even though I’m one of the people who provided the wherewithal for all these legalization movements to happen. I’ll be in jail being persecuted while they’re out, Americans are actually out, celebrating.”

Emery is currently on bail from the North Fraser Pretrial Centre. He faces a five-year sentence in a U.S. prison for selling marijuana seeds from his Vancouver shop.

Although all Emery can hope for is an immediate transfer to a Canadian jail, he has huge optimism about the future of the marijuana-legalization crusade that he helped nurture.

In 2009, measures to tax and regulate recreational marijuana were filed in the state assemblies of California, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Washington. The group Nevadans for Sensible Marijuana Law has started work on a ballot initiative in 2012 to create a legal market. Several states allow medical marijuana use.

“Let’s face it: the majority of Canadians want to legalize marijuana, and now the majority of Americans do as well,” Emery said.

He said he has no doubt why American federal authorities are out to get him: it was all told in the media statement by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration when he was arrested on July 29, 2005. Then DEA administrator Karen Tandy declared that his arrest was “a significant blow not only to the marijuana trafficking trade in the U.S. and Canada, but also to the marijuana legalization movement”.

What Emery considers particularly egregious is that Canadian federal authorities have been working with the Americans to get him extradited. “The thing is rather than even charge me here, the Canadian government conspired with the U.S. to have the justice system outsourced to them so they could punish me more severely,” he said.

According to information provided by Emery’s Cannabis Culture on-line magazine, there are two precedent cases involving the sale of marijuana seeds in Canada. In one, the B.C. Court of Appeal ruled that a $200 fine, not a prison sentence, is the appropriate punishment. In the other case, the same appellate court determined that the penalty shouldn’t be harsher than one month in prison and one year of probation.

Emery’s bail will expire on January 8. Although he entered into a plea bargain with U.S. authorities last summer that will likely see him sentenced to at least five years in prison, it will still take the signature of Justice Minister and Attorney General Rob Nicholson, a federal Conservative, to extradite the marijuana activist to the U.S.

Emery said he hopes that one day the full details of what went on between the Canadian and American governments to put him away will finally come to light. Through an access-to-information request, he has received from the justice ministry 6,000 pages of reports and correspondence, all of which have been blacked out. “It’s amazing,” he said. “It took us a year before they would actually get it back to us. A lot of them can’t be revealed because they’re communicating with the Americans.”

The federal NDP’s Libby Davies is also interested in knowing the background to Emery’s extradition. The Vancouver East MP related that she didn’t learn very much when she put in a question on the order paper in the House of Commons. She noted that her office recently filed a request for information with the Justice Ministry.

“I just feel that the whole process was very bad,” Davies told the Straight by phone. “And the Canadian government has never been clear about its involvement or what its interactions or discussions have been with the U.S. drug-enforcement officials.”

For Davies, information surrounding Emery’s case is a matter of Canadian interest. “He’s really done no harm,” she said. “He’s not hurt anybody.”

[medpot]

NRC HANDELSBLAD - Netherlands


Curtain closes on Canadian 'prince of pot'


Published: 30 December 2009 16:17 | Changed: 30 December 2009 16:22


Marc Emery sold large quantities of marijuana seeds to Americans.

He will be extradited from Canada to the US in January
to serve a five year prison sentence.


By Frank Kuin in Vancouver



Marc Emery hugged by a friend
before he turned himself in with
the police in September.
Photo Reuters


Walking along Hastings Street in Vancouver, arm in arm with his wife Jodie, Marc Emery (51) looked like anything but one of the US' most wanted drug dealers. But he is in fact number 46 on a list of 50 dangerous drugs criminals. His days as a free man are numbered: he is about to be extradited to the United States to be locked up.

The couple entered the building at No. 307, which they refer to as their "international headquarters". The building was decorated in green and filled with an entourage of followers. The headquarters features a store, an editorial room, a recording studio, political offices and a smoking cafe. Everything related to marijuana is sold here – except marijuana, being illegal. If you want to smoke a joint in the cafe, you have to bring your own. Not that it is hard to come by in Vancouver, a city nicknamed ‘Vansterdam’.

Plea bargain

Emery, a tireless proponent of the liberal cannabis culture on the Canadian west coast, took a seat in the office of his Cannabis Culture magazine. He said he wants to make the best of his last days of freedom, before he begin serving his five year jail sentence for trafficking marijuana. After an extensive legal battle, he has struck a plea bargain with US prosecutors: a guilty plea in exchange for a lighter sentence. He is free on bail until the Canadian justice minister signs his extradition papers in January.

It is a setback, Emery acknowledged. “But if I go to jail for five years, that doesn’t undermine the huge accomplishments we were able to make”, he added, pointing to the growth of millions of cannabis plants in Canada and the US from seeds he has sold. “It’s worth the sacrifice. I expect to continue to campaign to legalise marijuana, even from jail.”

Emery is going to prison for the sale of millions of cannabis seeds to American buyers. Between 1994 and 2005 he openly sold large quantities of seeds by mail order. He sold in packs of ten, for up to 100 US dollars, to customers all over North America and beyond. With the proceeds, he financed campaigns to legalise marijuana in various countries and US states. It earned him international fame, and the nickname ‘Prince of Pot’.

Multimillion dollar business

Trade in cannabis seeds is illegal in Canada and the US, but the law in Canada is rarely enforced. At most, it is punished with a fine. Vancouver police turned a blind eye as Emery’s operation grew into a multimillion dollar business. He paid taxes and courted publicity. By his own estimate, he has given away 4 million dollars in profits to political initiatives, including his own Marijuana Party.

“That was the only reason we were raising the money”, Emery said. “I didn’t keep any of it.” His aim was to “overgrow the government,” he explained. “We’re trying to thwart the American drug war by having people grow lots of marijuana, and support different activities to try to make marijuana legal, by peaceful democratic means.”

Emery was inspired to take this approach by the Dutch hemp pioneer Ben Dronkers. “In 1994, I went to the Cannabis Cup and I was on a panel with Ben Dronkers. He got up and said: ‘we sold millions of seeds that produced tens of millions of plants all over the world.’ I thought that was a brilliant plan. And even though seeds were legal in Holland, I thought it wouldn’t be difficult to sell them in Canada. Even if I got charged, I would probably only get a fine.”

Pressure from the Bush administration

The strategy worked. As ringleader of the cannabis industry in the Canadian province British Columbia (BC), Emery contributed to an explosive growth of weed cultivation on the west coast over the past 15 years. The sought-after marijuana from the area, known as ‘BC Bud’, is widely estimated to be the largest economic product of the region.

The rise of Vancouver as a weed Mecca was not appreciated by the anti-drug warriors of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). To their dismay, Emery could spread his seeds and ideas from his base less than 40 kilometres from the US border with impunity. In the words of Seattle-based DEA agent Rodney Benson: “Indoor grow operations that are popping up all over the United States traced right back to Marc Emery.”

The DEA decided to intervene. Under pressure from the Bush administration, Emery was arrested in 2005 by Vancouver police on an extradition warrant. He was charged with marijuana trafficking and money laundering for his funding of political activities – acts that were tolerated in Canada, but that were punishable by 20 years to life in the US. The DEA hailed Emery’s arrest as “a blow to the marijuana legalisation movement”.

Progress for the cause in the US

Emery began a legal struggle against his extradition – an uphill battle, as Canada does not usually refuse US extradition requests. And the current Conservative government was not about to make an exception; it has a bill before parliament to impose tougher sentences on cannabis cultivation. Plans of the previous Liberal cabinet to decriminalise possession of small amounts of weed have been scrapped.

Emery rejects the U-turn in Canadian marijuana policy as the work of “our own Bush administration”. Ironically, he now sees greater progress for the cause in US states such as California, where ‘medical marijuana’ is widely available. “California will supersede the reputation of British Columbia”, he predicted. He chuckled. “I’ll likely end up in a federal penitentiary in California, a jurisdiction where anybody can buy seeds anytime.”

[medpot]

Western Standard


Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Tories hide behind “national security” to deny access
to information request: Marc Emery update


Canadian libertarian publisher and activist Marc Emery faces extradition to the U.S. on charges related to selling marijuana seeds. While Justice Minister Rob Nicholson could refuse the U.S. extradition request, he is expected to approve the extradition anytime after January 8th, according to Jacob Hunter, Policy Director with Beyond Prohibition Foundation.

Nicholson has ignored the pleas of Canadians to charge Emery in Canada for his so-called crime of selling marijuana seeds. This move would assert Canadian sovereignty over drug policy and likely lead to a legal outcome that would better reflect Canadian attitudes toward marijuana prohibition.

Emery is the publisher of Cannabis Culture magazine, leader of the BC Marijuana Party and owner of the now-defunct Marc Emery Seeds, an online marijuana seed retailer, the profits from which financed much of international movement to liberalize marijuana laws before his arrest.

In late 2009, Emery signed a plea deal for a 5-year sentence in the U.S. prison system.

“I was forced to take this plea deal for five years under great duress,” said Emery.

"If I went to trial in the United States, I would have received a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years up to life. I shouldn’t be going to prison at all for selling seeds to consenting adults, but five years is preferable to a life sentence,” continued Emery.

Emery was taken into Canadian custody in September 2009 after an extradition hearing in the B.C. Supreme Court, and is currently free on bail awaiting Nicholson’s decision.

Emery’s wife, Jodie Emery, believes her husband should be dealt with in Canada and not the USA.

“Most Canadians agree that Marc should be dealt with in Canada’s justice system. He operated openly in Vancouver, B.C. for over a decade, never went to the U.S.A., and paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in income taxes,” said Jodie Emery.

“The Justice Minister has received tens of thousands of phone calls, letters, post cards and petitions asking him to refuse the extradition. There is no reason my husband should suffer for five years in a foreign prison system, especially when he operated his seed business in Canada at all times,” she continued.

Emery’s lawyer, Kirk Tousaw, made an access to information and privacy (ATIP) request for Justice Department communications related to Emery’s arrest for extradition. After long delays, approximately 60 pages of a 6,000-page document were released with everything blacked out for various “national security” reasons.

Libby Davies, Member of Parliament for Vancouver East, made an Order Paper request in parliament for similar documents, but was also refused any information.

Posted by Matthew Johnston

Posted by Western Standard on January 6, 2010

[medpot]

National Post

Letters to the Editor


Prince of Pot Marc Emery could be extradited to U.S. Friday


Elaine O’Connor, Canwest News Service
Published: Thursday, January 07, 2010


Andy Clark/Reuters

Marc Emery talks with media outside court in Vancouver
in March, 2008.


VANCOUVER -- Vancouver marijuana activist Marc Emery is taking his last puff of freedom -- as the clock counts down on an extradition order that will send him to a U.S. jail for five years.

Mr. Emery, founder of the B.C. Marijuana Party and publisher of Cannabis Culture magazine, is currently out on bail waiting for Federal Justice Minister and Attorney General Rob Nicholson to sign the extradition order, which can be done any time after Friday.

Mr. Emery says he will not turn fugitive, but will obey the order, when it comes.

Until then, Mr. Emery, often referred to as B.C.'s Prince of Pot, is making the most of his last days of freedom.

"I've been enjoying every moment of it out with my wife. We are just living day to day," he said.

Mr. Emery's trouble with U.S. authorities stemmed from his online mail-order marijuana seed business, "Marc Emery Direct Seeds," which he ran from 1994 to 2005.

Trade in seeds is illegal in Canada and the U.S., but the law is seldom enforced here.

By 2005, the U.S. Justice Department got wind of the seeds coming into their country. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency raided Mr. Emery's business, and the Canadian government was asked to extradite him to America to face charges of conspiracy to produce and traffic marijuana and to launder the proceeds of crime -- charges that could have landed him a life sentence in a U.S. prison.

After a failed legal bid to serve his time in Canada, Mr. Emery signed a plea bargain in September 2009 to avoid a U.S. trial. The deal reduced his sentence to five years in a U.S. federal prison.

"It's clearly a political case against me," Mr. Emery said. "It's not because of any harm I have done."

Mr. Emery was detained in North Fraser Pretrial Centre as his lawyers argued his case in an extradition hearing in B.C. Supreme Court. He was released on bail Nov. 18.

After his hearing concluded, his lawyer was given a reprieve until this week to submit final documents, owing to an illness -- which meant the extradition order could not be filed until today at the earliest.

Mr. Emery said he expects to be held at SeaTac Federal Detention Centre outside Seattle for several weeks following his transfer to the U.S. while officials decide where he will serve his sentence.

Canwest News Service

[medpot]

The Welland Tribune (ON)

Letters to the Editor


Friday, January 8, 2010


'PRINCE OF POT' PREPARED


Posted By


Marijuana activist Marc Emery says he's mentally prepared for life in a U.S. jail cell on the day the government can extradite him for selling seeds from Vancouver.

The "Prince of Pot" has been out on bail since mid-November but that could change now that the country can send him to U.S. authorities anytime starting this afternoon.

"I don't know when it'll happen so that's been difficult but I'm mentally preparing myself," Emery said. "Spending 52 days at the Fraser Regional (Corrections Centre) helped toughen me up."

Many of Emery's supporters have hound MPs with letters and e-mails demanding the figurehead's release, but the cries have fallen mostly on deaf ears. Despite the inevitability of the ordeal, Emery has been surprised by the support, especially from people who wouldn't normally agree with his pro-pot views, including elderly concerned about sovereignty.


Article ID# 2252861

[S^N]

The Times Colonist


B.C. 'Prince of Pot' Emery awaits extradition to U.S.


Canwest News Service January 8, 2010


Vancouver marijuana activist Marc Emery is taking his last puff of freedom as the clock counts down on an extradition order that will send him to a U.S. jail for five years.

Emery, often referred to as B.C.'s Prince of Pot, and founder of the B.C. Marijuana Party and publisher of Cannabis Culture magazine, is out on bail waiting for Federal Justice Minister and Attorney General Rob Nicholson to sign the extradition order, which can be done any time after today.

Emery's trouble with U.S. authorities stemmed from his online mail-order marijuana seed business, Marc Emery Direct Seeds, which he started in 1994.

By 2005, the U.S. Justice Department got wind of the seeds coming into their country. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency raided Emery's business, and the Canadian government was asked to extradite him to the U.S. to face charges of conspiracy to produce and traffic marijuana and to launder the proceeds of crime.



© Copyright © The Victoria Times Colonist

[S^N]

The Province


Emery 'living day to day' before U.S. jail time

Extradition order on drug charge could come as early as today


By Elaine O'Connor, The Province January 8, 2010



Marc Emery

Photograph by: Nick Procaylo, The Province, The Province


Vancouver marijuana activist Marc Emery is taking his last puff of freedom -- as the clock counts down on execution of an extradition order that will send him to jail in the U.S. for five years.

Emery, founder of the B.C. Marijuana Party and publisher of Cannabis Culture magazine, is out on bail, waiting for federal Justice Minister and Attorney-General Rob Nicholson to sign the extradition order, which can be done any time after today.

Emery says he will not turn fugitive but will obey the order when it comes.

Until then, Emery, often referred to as B.C.'s Prince of Pot, is making the most of his last days of freedom.

"I've been enjoying every moment of it out with my wife. We are just living day to day," he said Thursday.

Emery's trouble with U.S. authorities stemmed from his online mail-order marijuana-seed business, "Marc Emery Direct Seeds," which he ran from 1994 to 2005.

Trade in seeds is illegal in Canada and the U.S., but the law is seldom enforced here.

By 2005, the U.S. Justice Department got wind of the seeds coming in. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency raided Emery's business, and the Canadian government was asked to extradite him to face charges of conspiracy to produce and traffic marijuana and to launder the proceeds of crime -- charges that could have landed him a life sentence in a U.S. prison.

At the time, DEA administrator Karen Tandy said: "Emery and his organization [have] been designated as one of the attorney-general's most-wanted international drug-trafficking organizational targets-- one of only 46 in the world and the only one from Canada."

After a failed legal bid to serve his time in Canada, Emery signed a plea bargain in September 2009 to avoid a U.S. trial. The deal reduced his sentence to five years in a U.S. federal prison.

"It's clearly a political case against me," Emery said. "It's not because of any harm I have done."

Following the plea bargain, Emery was detained in North Fraser Pretrial Centre as his lawyers argued his case in an extradition hearing in B.C. Supreme Court. He was released on bail Nov. 18.

Emery said he expects to be held at SeaTac Federal Detention Center outside Seattle for several weeks while officials decide where he will serve his sentence.


eoconnor@theprovince.com



© Copyright © The Province

[papapuff]

TheBulletin.ca


Harper covers up Prince of Pot details



Marc Emery would be shipped to U.S. prison for acts committed in Canada and our nation's government hides the facts.


By Jacob Hunter


The fate of Marc Emery, known worldwide as the Prince of Pot, is in the hands of Canada’s Justice Minister Rob Nicholson. The Justice Minister will decide to approve or refuse the extradition of Emery to the United States at any time after January 8th. Emery is a well-known Canadian businessman, activist, and leader of the BC Marijuana Party. He is facing extradition to the United States to face charges for selling marijuana seeds through the mail to Americans.

In late 2009, Marc Emery signed a plea deal for a 5-year sentence in the US system. “I was forced to take this plea deal for five years under great duress,” said Emery.

“If I went to trial in the United States, I would have received a mandatory minimum sentences of 30 years up to life. I shouldn’t be going to prison at all for selling seeds to consenting adults, but five years is preferable to a life sentence.”

Emery went into Canadian custody in September 2009 after an extradition hearing in the BC Supreme Court, and is currently free on bail awaiting the Justice Minister’s decision.

Emery’s wife, Jodie Emery, believes her husband should be dealt with in Canada and not the USA. “Most Canadians agree that Marc should be dealt with in Canada’s justice system. He operated openly in Vancouver, BC for over a decade, never went to the USA, and paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in income taxes.

“The Justice Minister has received tens of thousands of phone calls, letters, post cards and petitions asking him to refuse the extradition. There is no reason my husband should suffer for five years in a foreign prison system, especially when he operated his seed business in Canada at all times.”

Emery’s lawyer, Kirk Tousaw, made an access to information and privacy (ATIP) request for Justice Department communications related to Emery’s arrest for extradition. After long delays, approximately 60 pages of a 6,000-page document were released with everything blacked out for various “national security” reasons.

Libby Davies, Member of Parliament for Vancouver East, made an Order Paper request for similar documents, but was also refused any information.


2010-01-08 11:24:41

[medpot]

Western Standard

Monday, January 18, 2010

"The Principle of Pot" -- new documentary about Marc Emery,
Prince of Pot, released by Paul McKeever


Paul McKeever, leader of the Freedom Party of Ontario, lawyer, and long-time Objectivist, has released the first part of a two-part documentary about Marc Emery's life at midnight today.

Here's the press release about the documentary:

Just after midnight tonight, Ontario lawyer Paul McKeever will release Part 1 of "The Principle of Pot", his new two-part documentary about the nature and motives of Marc Emery, the media-dubbed Prince of Pot. Part 1 runs 1 hour and 39 minutes. Part 2 will be released at a later date.

The launch is timed to precede a decision by Canada's federal justice minister, Rob Nicholson, about whether or not to approve the extradition of Emery to the United States, where he faces years of imprisonment for having sold cannabis seeds, in Vancouver, Canada, via mail order. The Minister's decision is expected within the next 81 days.

Emery's opponents, and the U.S. authorities who demanded his arrest in Halifax, have attempted to portray Emery as a profit-motivated drug dealer. Part 1 of McKeever's documentary will cover the period up to 1990; a period during which Emery was equally active as an advocate of individual freedom, but whose advocacy of individual freedom did not include campaigns concerning the issue of cannabis prohibition.

Being the result of countless hours of research, interviews, writing and editing, the video includes audio, video and textual information that has never been seen in any profile of Emery. Much of the audio and video having been drawn from the archives of Freedom Party of Ontario (with which Emery was active until 1990), it has never before been seen by the general public or media.

The first part of this documentary is worth watching. Apart from sharing Emery's early pro-liberty activism with the Freedom Party in London, Ontario, the documentary also presents a sympathetic explanation of Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, and gives viewers something of a history of the individual liberty movement in Canada.

Here's the first segment, the second, third, and fourth segment are below the fold. We will, of course, post the next part of this documentary as soon as it becomes available:









Posted by P.M. Jaworski on January 18, 2010 in Marijuana reform | Permalink