A BLOW FOR THE ’PRINCE OF POT’

[BlueMystic]

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Law/Mar...pf-1152768.html


Vancouver marijuana store raided
July 29, 2005


VANCOUVER (CP) - Police raided a business run by the head of the B.C.
Marijuana Party on Friday based on a search warrant that was requested
by the U.S. government.

Marc Emery, the leader of the party, was not at the store when it was
raided but Chris Bennett, who witnessed the raid and is an employee of
Pot TV, said Emery had been arrested in Halifax.

Authorization to conduct the raid was made Thursday by Associate Chief
Justice Patrick Dohm of the B.C. Supreme Court under the Mutual Legal
Assistance in Criminal Matters Act.

Several officers, some in plain clothes, some in uniform, raided the
marijuana seed and paraphernalia store on West Hastings Street in
downtown Vancouver owned by Emery, who the search warrant also
described by his alias "The Prince of Pot."

The search warrant named Emery, Gregory Williams and Michelle
Rainey-Fenkarek. Bennett said Williams was taken into police custody at
the store on Friday while Rainey-Fenkarek was arrested at her home on
Thursday night.

Police were not immediately available to comment on whether any arrests
had been made.

The store, named Toker's Bowl, is adjacent to the New Amsterdam Cafe
where people have been smoking marijuana openly for years.

Several people gathered outside the store to protest the raid, many
holding anti-American signs.

Police sealed off the store and covered the windows with paper while
they conducted their search.

The search warrant sets out a long list of requests made by the United
States to the Vancouver police department.

In the warrant, the U.S. alleges that those named in it have conspired
to manufacture marijuana, conspired to distribute marijuana seeds and
conspired to engage in money laundering.

The warrant requests that police seize cash and receipts, client lists
and other records identifying purchasers of goods from Emery, and
employee records, including applications for employment.

It also asks for business and company incorporation documents, leases,
rental agreements, computers, hard drives, diskettes and CD-ROMS.

Reputation Comments on this post:

[radiometer]

http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?
type=domesticNews&storyID=2005-07
-29T225637Z_01_N29439001_RTRIDST_0_CANADA-CRIME-CANADA-
USA-DRUGS-COL.XML


Fri Jul 29, 2005 6:56 PM EDT

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - Police raided the headquarters
of the British Columbia Marijuana Party on Friday at the request of U.S.
investigators targeting one of Canada's best-known advocates of
legalizing marijuana.

U.S. officials have charged Marc Emery, founder of the Marijuana Party,
and two other people with conspiracy to manufacture marijuana,
distribute marijuana seeds and money laundering. The charges are in
connection with a business that Emery has operated for years over the
Internet from offices in Vancouver, on Canada's Pacific Coast.

Emery, who has been nicknamed the "Prince of Pot," was arrested in
Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he was on a visit. He is expected to have a
hearing in a court in Vancouver next week for extradition proceedings,
according to police officials.

Marijuana is a touchy issue in U.S.-Canada relations, with White House
officials warning recently that a plan by Ottawa to decriminalize
possession of small amounts of pot could lead to tighter security on the
border.

U.S. officials allege that Emery has sold as much as C$3 million ($2.5
million) in seeds, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

Demonstrators protested outside the party's offices as police searched
using a warrant that called for seizing materials and information,
including the names of people who may have applied for work at Emery's
business.

"We're disappointed and shocked that Canada would lay down its
sovereignty to the United States and allow the United States government's
draconian anti-marijuana war to creep into what otherwise was a much
more rational system here in Canada," said Kirk Tousaw, the party's
campaign manager.

Canadian police said no charges have been filed against Emery under
Canadian law, but that they were investigating.

A spokesman for the Vancouver Police Department, Howard Chow,
defended raiding the offices at the request of U.S. officials since Emery's
seed business and other pro-marijuana activities have been well known
for years.

"We received information for the United States and acted accordingly,"
Chow told reporters.

Emery, a Canadian citizen, founded the B.C. Marijuana Party several years
ago. The party has fielded candidates in British Columbia's past two
legislative elections but none have won.

The marijuana trade in British Columbia is worth more than C$6 billion
annually, with most of the potent "B.C. Bud" grown in the province
destined for the United States.

[Symi81]

Marc Emery, aka the Prince of Pot was arrested by Canadian authorties activg on a "tip" from U.S. federal agents. In case you don't know who Marc Emery is, you should. He is the public face of the cannabis legalization movement, and has been fighting for YOUR rights as a pot-smoker for years. His arrest is a blatent act of American Feds bullying the Canadians into doing their dirty work. The Feds will seek to extradite him to the good ole' Land of The Free for prosecution. As a pot smoker, I urge you to do anything you can to help Marc Emery.

Edited by: BA

[AcmeSewageCo]

Ah good information... But I think it's posted into the wrong forum... Post this into the news forum my friend... Cheers .

[Symi81]

This raid is an outrage, American Federal authorities are just trying to make an example of Marc. Its pathetic enough the American authorities think this is important, but its almost more pathetic the Canadians are allowing themselves to be America's bitch.

http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vanc...5-93809f282390

[BrugmansiaBrujo]

Yes, this is a dangerous precident to set. The US government is a
two-faced monster. On the one hand it likes to bitch about national
sovereinty, saying that the illegal aliens on the southern border, and
the Mexican government's support of those aliens, is erroding US
sovereignty. Yet at the same time, the US government does not
respect Canadian sovereinty.



It they want Mark Emory, they should have waited until they could catch him on US soil.

[motorhead]

Yes, having a Canadian citizen arrested on Canadian soil by Canadians, and charged under American laws disturbs me.

[Alfa]

A Canadian citizen who did nothing illegal under Canadian law! They are punishing for legal acts. Has the Canadian government lost it's sense?? I am pissed. Where can we write to?? Edited by: Alfa

[PenguinPhreak]

Yes, this is truly an outrage. It is truely sickening to see Canada
giving in to the United States in such ways, when in the past they have
taken a more reasonable approach to prohibition. Not only is Marc Emery
being held without any charges being pressed, he is being held without
bond. I encourage everyone to follow Alpha's example and get involved
and help Emery and the other workers of Emery Seeds who have been
arrested. This article on CannabisCulture.com has more information on how you can help.

[BrugmansiaBrujo]

Thanks for that link. Screw this board and all you fine folks for
now, I'm off to write some commentaries to the appropriate
people. Hope someone will listen.



I'll get back with ya'll later.

[Woodman]

Originally Posted by BlueMystic

Vancouver marijuana store
raidedJuly 29, 2005

VANCOUVER (CP) - Police raided a business run by
the head of the B.C. Marijuana Party on Friday based
on a search warrant that was requested by the U.S.
government.

FUCK ME!

how do you spell NAZI!</font>

[unico_walker]

I don't know if anyone remember but the same exact thing happened to a Canadian man named Daniel Pelchat, he was a Canadian citizen arrested on Canadian soil for selling GHB kits which at the time were not illegal in Canada only in the US. His assets were seized by the DEA! I'm not sure what has happened to his case but it seems to have floundered.

[Cure20]

I am canadian and absolutely disgusted with this the fact that Canada is giving into the US. Sorry not that I have anything wrong with the US I go there all the time but I would feel the exact same way if there was a flip side to this coin, or any other country for that matter.

[Nostradamus]

Symi makes a very good point.


Marc Emery has been pioneering the pot legalization movement in Canada for at lease a decade now. He own/runsthe "Hemp BC" store in Vancouver, which sells pot seeds in themail, worldwide. (He sells some of the best genetics available.)The British Colombia governement has, for the most part, been letting him do his business without bothering him. The only time I know ofMarc doing time was in Saskatchewan. Hegot arrested and did three months in jail for passing a joint on the steps of the Saskatchewan Legislature during a pot protest.(Saskatchewan is no where as laid back as British Colombia when it comes to pot.)


Now, under pressure from the U.S. governement, Canada had arrested him. They have no desire to bring him to trial, they don't see Marc as a threat. What the Canadian governement is scared of is not complying with the U.S. governement. If Canada lets the States extradite Marc for prosicution it will be a sad day, not just for Marc, but for all Canadians. Come on Canada, show some balls, Marc is one of your sons, don't give him up to the States!

[transit]

The following is from: http://pot.tv/archive/shows/pottvshowse-3889.html

5 things you can do to help Marc Emery
by Dana Larsen
Please do your part to keep the drug war out of Canada.
I have received many emails and messages from people asking me what they can do to help prevent Marc Emery from being extradited to the US to face a lifetime in prison. Here are five simple, concrete things that anyone can do to make a positive impact on this situation.

If you can donate even two hours of spare time each week to doing some of these five things you will be making a real difference.

The first three things can and should be done by anyone in the world who supports this effort. The last two are for Canadians only.

Please don't just read this list and then do nothing. This is a very crucial battle and one we must win.


1) Call Irwin Cotler regularly.

Canada's Justice Minister is Irwin Cotler. It is largely his decision whether Canada will extradite Marc Emery. Cotler's biography describes him as a "peace activist" who has devoted his life to supporting international human rights, free speech, freedom of religion, women's rights, minority rights, war crimes justice and prisoners' rights, but he has not proven himself to be a friend to the cannabis culture.

Please call each of these three phone numbers twice every week, and politely repeat your message every time. The goal is to keep these lines constantly tied up with calls and voice mails about Marc Emery, so that the Justice Department phones are ringing steadily about the Emery case every day for the next few months.

When you call, always be very polite. Your goal is not to get into a debate with Cotler's secretary. Just say that you are calling because it would "shock your conscience" for Marc Emery to be extradited to the US for alleged marijuana seeds crimes committed on Canadian soil. Say that you believe that if Marc has broken the law in Canada, he should be tried in Canada, under Canadian laws.

If they say you are calling the wrong number ask what number you should call. But still call them again the next week regardless.

No matter where you are in the world, please call all three of these phone numbers every week. We definitely need active, vocal support from Americans and also from the international community.

* Irwin Cotler's Constituency Office: 514-283-0171
* Irwin Cotler's Parliamentary Office: 613-995-0121
* Justice Department Office: 613-992-4621

If you have access to a fax machine then please also send a daily or weekly fax supporting Marc Emery to each of these Justice Department fax numbers:

Fax: 613-992-6762
Fax: 514-283-2407
Fax: 613-990-7255

Don't bother sending emails to Cotler. Emails are easily ignored, deleted, or filtered out as spam. Weekly phone calls and faxes are much more effective in creating awareness and political pressure.


2) Donate and buy

This raid means the end of Marc Emery Marijuana Seeds, which was the pioneering business which Marc Emery used to fund activist efforts around the world. Marc, Michelle and Greg will all have huge legal bills, while at the same time losing their assets, income and livelihood.

Money-losing projects like Pot-TV will need to be curtailed, political activities will be shut down, Cannabis Culture Magazine will struggle greatly, and all our staff will suffer layoffs and paycuts.

Please make a donation or purchase with the BC Marijuana Party, and buy a subscription to Cannabis Culture magazine. Our store is still fully stocked with books, pipes, bongs, clothes and other cannabis products. The only thing we don't sell now is seeds! We need your business to survive, so please come down and pick up some new paraphernalia.


3) Write to Canadian media

Please contact all of the following newspapers and magazines, with a new letter every week.

Don't write a big long letter. Just write a short, snappy letter which offers your opinion on American efforts to extradite Marc Emery.

Don't just send one mass email to all of these media at once. Instead send them each individually the same emailed letter.

Write one letter every week, different letters but on the same topic, and send them to every one of these media outlets every week.

A more complete list of Canadian media outlets can be found here: http://mapinc.org/cmap/press.htm

NEWSPAPERS

National Post: letters@nationalpost.com
Globe & Mail: letters@globeandmail.ca
Vancouver Sun: sunletters@png.canwest.com
Vancouver Province: provletters@png.canwest.com
Victoria Times Colonist: letters@tc.canwest.com
Vancouver Courier: editor@vancourier.com
Burnaby Now: editorial@burnabynow.com
Calgary Herald: letters@theherald.canwest.com
Calgary Sun: callet@calgarysun.com
Edmonton Journal: letters@thejournal.canwest.com
Edmonton Sun: mailbag@edm.sunpub.com
Regina Leader-Post: letters@leaderpost.canwest.com
Guelph Mercury: editor@guelphmercury.com
Hamilton Spectator: letters@thespec.com
Kamloops this week: ktw@bcnewsgroup.com
Kamloops Daily News: kamloopsnews@telus.net
Kelowna Capital News: edit@kelownacapnews.com
Kitchener-Waterloo Record: letters@therecord.com
Kingston Whig-Standard: whiged@thewhig.com
Langley Advance: editorial@langleyadvance.com
Langley Times: newsroom@langleytimes.com
Lethbridge Herald: letters@ac403.com
London Free Press: letters@lfpress.com
Montreal Gazette: letters@thegazette.canwest.com
Nanaimo News Bulletin: edit@nanaimo.vinewsgroup.com
North Shore News: editor@nsnews.com
Ottawa Citizen: letters@thecitizen.canwest.com
Ottawa Sun: oped@ott.sunpub.com
The Saskatoon Star Phoenix: spnews@SP.canwest.com
Surrey Leader: newsroom@surreyleader.com
Surrey Now: canderson@thenownewspaper.com
Toronto Star: lettertoed@thestar.com
Toronto Sun: editor@tor.sunpub.com
Tri-city news: newsroom@tricitynews.com
Victoria News: vicnews@vinewsgroup.com
Whitehorse Star: letters@whitehorsestar.com
Winnipeg Free Press: letters@freepress.mb.ca
Winnipeg Sun: editor@wpgsun.com
Windsor Star: letters@thestar.canwest.com

MAGAZINES

Maclean's Magazine: letters@macleans.ca
Eye Magazine: eye@eye.net
NOW Magazine: letters@nowtoronto.com
Vancouver Magazine: mail@vancouvermagazine.com
The Walrus: letters@walrusmagazine.com


4) Contact your MP and MLA

If you are in Canada, then contact both your MP and your MLA. Don't send them an email, make a phone call. Try to make an appointment for a personal visit. Also have every one of your friends and family members each make their own phone call as well. The more calls they receive the better.

You are not seeking your MP and MLA to support the legalization of marijuana. Just say that you are calling because you want your elected representative to oppose the extradition of any Canadian to a foreign country when their actions are not considered a serious crime in Canada
Remind them that Emery is the leader of a legitimate political party, that the Canadian government has knowingly collected taxes from his US seed sales for a decade, and that Emery has operated openly without interference from Canadian police since 1998.

Tell your MP and MLA that Canada should not be sending political activists to jail in foreign countries, especially when their actions are not even considered to be an "arrestable offence" in Canada.

Your MP is your federal Member of Parliament. You can find your MP here: http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/ab.../house/PostalC ode.asp?Source=SM

Your MLA is your Provincial Member of the Legislature. You can find your MLA online here:

BC: www.legis.gov.bc.ca/mla/3-1-1.htm
Alberta: www.assembly.ab.ca/adr/adr_template.aspx?type=mla
Saskatchewan: www.legassembly.sk.ca/members
Manitoba: www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/members/alphabetical.html
Ontario: www.electionsontario.on.ca/fyed/en/form_page_en.jsp
Quebec: www.assnat.qc.ca/fra/Membres/deputes.shtml
Newsfoundland: www.hoa.gov.nl.ca/hoa/members
Nova Scotia: www.gov.ns.ca/legislature/MEMBERS/index.html
New Brunswick: app.infoaa.7700.gnb.ca/gnb/pub/ListMLA1.asp
PEI: www.assembly.pe.ca/members/index.php


5) Rally in your community

If you are in Canada, then try to put on a rally in your community to protest this incursion of the US Drug War into Canada.

The focus of your rally should not be on the marijuana laws, but rather that Canadians within Canada are not subject to US law. The Canadian courts and people have decided that selling marijuana seeds is a trivial, non-arrestable offence.

The Canadian government has steadily collected sizable taxes from Marc Emery's US seed sales for 10 years. If Emery has broken the law in Canada then he should be charged and tried here. If he has broken no laws in Canada then he should not be extradited to the US for a life sentence. Who will be next? Will US police start extraditing Canadians who perform gay marriages for visiting Americans?

Try to put together a rally for Saturday, September 10, to coincide with the rally planned for Vancouver. If there is a US consulate office in your city then that is a good place to rally at. Otherwise find a park or other government building.

Please contact us at the BC Marijuana Party to let us know what you are up to. Tell us if you have contacted your elected representatives, if are planning a rally, and what else you are doing to help preserve Canadian sovereignty and keep the US drug war out of Canada.

Thank you for your help. Marc Emery has devoted his life to ending the drug war and ensuring that marijuana seeds are available to anyone who wants to grow this wondrous herb. Please follow his lead, become active, and help to end this vicious war.

* BC Marijuana Party: bcmp2005@yahoo.ca, 604-684-2803

[BrugmansiaBrujo]

USA the physical dirt or land, and USA the people who live there, is
not the same as USA the faceless monolithic and hopelessly corrupt
government.



But then again, the same could be said of most any country's government
vs the people who live there. Just that it is at it's most
extreme now in the USA, IMHO.

[motorhead]

B.C. pot activist Marc Emery still behind bars</H3>

Canadian Press

VANCOUVER — Associate Chief Justice Patrick Dohm released Marc Emery on a $50,000 dollar bail, with $10,000 in cash and the rest in $10,000 bonds. Emery's campaign manager said only one bond had been posted by Emery's brother in Ontario, leaving supporters scrambling to find three more property owners to help post bail.
"We're very hopeful and very optimistic he'll be out [on Thursday] at the very latest," said Kirk Tousaw. "Emery's brother was the only surity that was allowed to be outside of British Columbia." Emery and two other B.C. pot activists are wanted in the United States on charges relating to selling marijuana seeds on the Internet to Americans and laundering money. Meantime, Tousaw said Canada's so-called Prince of Pot is holding up fine in jail. "Marc's been in jail before. I think he understands the gravity of the situation," he said. "I think this will continue to harden his resolve to show Canada and North America that we should not be locking up non-violent, non-harmful people engaged in political activism that the United States doesn't like," Tousaw said. This is the latest story on CTV.ca. It still boggles me that he has to post bail here even though he wasnt charged under Canadian law. I hope the Martin government doesnt wus out on its plans to reform marijuana laws in this country.

[transit]

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/connel...21_joel05.html
Pursuit of drug case all smoke, no fire
By JOEL CONNELLY POST-INTELLIGENCER COLUMNIST

In their search for proof that Bigfoot exists, researchers ought to take hair samples from the Washington D.C, offices of Drug Enforcement Administration boss Karen Tandy.

Tandy has left giant footprints on the drug prosecution of Vancouver, B.C., mail-order pot entrepreneur, and B.C. Marijuana Party founder, Marc Emery. With an ill-advised statement politicizing the case that also misspelled Emery's first name, the DEA boss may help transform a publicity seeker into a Canadian martyr. Seeking to stop his extradition to the United States -- where he faces charges of trafficking in marijuana seeds -- Emery's legal team could use Tandy's words to telling effect: Their client is being prosecuted for his beliefs. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle brought charges against Emery last week, based on investigative work by the local DEA office.

The feds allege that Emery has peddled his wares south of the border. An acquaintance, in the growing business here, yesterday joked that he received "prompt, efficient, courteous service" recently while buying seeds at Emery's Vancouver store. He politely declined a request to sample the resulting product. But extraditing Emery, through Canadian courts and eventually the Justice Ministry, will be sensitive. Nor is conviction in Seattle a given. The city voted in 2003 to put pot possession at the bottom of law enforcement priorities.

Authorities in this Washingtonastutely adopted a Just-the-Facts approach, turning the Emery case into a bombast-free zone. "The focus of this case is on the drug trafficking of Marc Emery. It is not about his political activities, nor his campaigns for office. Nor is it focused on his magazine," said assistant U.S attorney Todd Greenberg. Consider the contrasting bluster of Tandy's statement from the DEA home office in the other Washington "Today's arrest of Mark (sic) Scott Emery, publisher of Cannabis Culture magazine and the founder of a marijuana legalization group, is a significant blow not only to the marijuana trafficking trade in the U.S. and Canada, but also to the marijuana legalization movement." hy? Tandy gives us a handy dose of innuendo. "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 & Canada. Drug legalization lobbyists now have one less pot of money to rely on." As the old Wendy's TV spot used to ask, Where's the beef? Tandy cites no supporting evidence. Anyone who has witnessed Seattle Hempfest -- the nation's largest marijuana-related festival -- is likely to scoff. "Marc Emery has never given a penny to Seattle Hempfest or Sensible Seattle (sponsor of a 2003 initiative)," said Dominic Holden, longtime Hempfest organizer. "If he did, us American advocates might be driving new cars and live in nice homes like the activists in Canada," he added. The statement by Tandy will send nationalists-of-the-north up in smoke.
"The big fuss here seems to be the notion that we're knuckling under to American law enforcement," said Rafe Mair, a lawyer and Vancouver's best-known radio talk-show host. Canada is moving toward decriminalizing marijuana possession. It still has on the books a law against sale of pot seeds, but police have not pursued Emery's seed selling by catalog or out of his Vancouver store. The heavy hand is nothing new. U.S drug policy chief John Walters visited Vancouver in 2002. He warned Mayor Philip Owen that crossing the border would get tougher if the city adopted a drug policy based upon tolerance and treatment. "It was the most unsatisfactory meeting of my life," Owen said. "The pressure was intense."
Owen was succeeded by current Vancouver Mayor Larry Campbell. A former coroner and drug squad cop, Campbell wants to legalize -- and tax -- marijuana. "Drug czars are the most ill-informed people in government ... They are still living in an era of 'Reefer Madness,' " Campbell said in a recent interview, referring to the much-lampooned 1930s movie. He was named this week to the Canadian Senate.

Vancouver has adopted a "Four Pillars" approach to drug use: Treatment, harm reduction, prevention and enforcement. By contrast, Karen Tandy is a Justice Department hard-liner who, in the words of Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, "doesn't seem amenable to listening." She is a career federal prosecutor who has gone after mail-order bong sellers and been involved in thwarting California's voter-approved medical marijuana program. The DEA boss's record is marked by accusations of excessive prosecutorial zealotry, according to a 2003 investigation by The Nation magazine. She once waited until three days before trial to turn over 60,000 pages of documents to defense attorneys. In the current case, she is giving Emery a larger stage to strut his stuff. "It would seem, from her statements, this prosecution is about Mr. Emery's political efforts to legalize marijuana as much as it is about his business," said Murray Mollard, director of the B.C. Civil Liberties Union.
And that is exactly what U.S. prosecutors must avoid if they want Emery, rather than their case, to go south.

[MrJim]

<DIV ="storyline">


Marc Emery is closing in on Marijuana Mission Accomplished.


As the longtime pot activist braces for his fight against extradition to the U.S. -- something he calls "the ultimate moment of my career" -- he credits the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency for giving him the platform of a lifetime for his crusade to legalize marijuana.


"They might have made me into something bigger than anything I could accomplish on my own," he says. "I get the ultimate opportunity to represent my people."


Since his arrest in Halifax eight days ago, Emery has been bombarded with media interview requests. A steady stream of people has visited the Marijuana Party headquarters on Vancouver's West Hastings since his release Friday.


But while he's elated to have both the Canadian and American public involved in the controversial debate over the two countries' differing drug policies, there's one person Emery is desperately trying to shield the news from: his mother.


With tears in his eyes, Emery admitted in an interview with The Province yesterday that family and staff at a London, Ont., seniors home have been trying to hide the news from his 78-year-old mother, Eileen.


"It's a shame that they have to hide from my mom what's happened, because they're very worried she'll get very agitated and anxious and I would feel bad if she died earlier of stress or something," Emery says, choking up.


It is the first time Emery is known to have cried over the ordeal, but he's quick to point out that it doesn't mean he isn't prepared for his upcoming battle.


During his seven days in custody, 47-year-old Emery said he spent much of his time thinking of his father, Alfred, who died seven weeks ago.


"The last thing he said to me was, 'You're the greatest son a father could ever ask for,'" he recalls, breaking down again.


An 18-month investigation by the U.S. D.E.A. led to charges against Emery of conspiracy to distribute cannabis seeds, produce marijuana and launder money. If extradited and convicted, he faces between 10 years and life in prison.


While it's no surprise that those in favour of the legalization of pot have come to Emery's aid, even non-supporters have become outraged over what some see as the U.S. trying to exert power over Canada's lax drug strategy.


The U.S. maintains Emery is a threat with an online business, Marc Emery Direct, that has allegedly sold marijuana seeds to people in 50 states.


"The grows that sprout from those seeds are often protected by armed criminals or rigged with lethal booby traps," the U.S. Attorney's office said in a release. "They do significant environmental damage and fuel the organized crime and drug trade that destroys lives."


U.S. authorities also allege that more than $5 million has gone in and out of Emery's bank accounts since 1999.


Emery says he doesn't own any assets and that he's donated millions of dollars to pot-advocacy groups as well as political parties, including the federal NDP, whose leader, Jack Layton, met with Emery at his Vancouver home last year.


The Beyond Prohibition conference held in Vancouver last year was also funded by a $15,000 grant he provided, Emery says.


The leader of the B.C. Marijuana Party promises to release details of his finances in the coming days, adding that he will rely on charity to fight against extradition.


But, although physically tired, Emery says he has "a great sense of clarity of mind and clarity of purpose -- and this is without the use of marijuana."


lsin@png.canwest.com


Profile of Marc Emery.</DIV>
<DIV ="storytext">


Keep atit brother. You're stubborn enough to win.


</DIV>Edited by: MrJim

[psyvision2000]

hope all goes good for emery like it did for rosenthal , all he got was 3 yrs probation for a huge grow operation in oaksterdam california....prayers go out to him........

[Sick Jack]

WARNING

There is a new article on cannabisculture.ca.

Some customers of Emery Seeds have received FAKE LETTERS from the DEA, asking for financial support for Emery. Why ? It seems that this could be a way to get datas about Emery's customer in the US in order to organise a massive bust on grow operations.

Here is a link to the article :
"Warning: "Emery Seeds" DEA TRAP"
http://www.cannabisculture.ca/articles/4483.html

[Alfa]

A BLOW FOR THE 'PRINCE OF POT'


The possible extradition to the US of a prominent marijuana enthusiast has sparked anger in Canada, reports Anne McIlroy


For years, Canadian authorities ignored the lucrative mail-order marijuana business run by Marc Emery, Canada's most prominent proponent for legalising weed. The self-styled "Prince of Pot" sold cannabis seeds via the internet to customers all over the world, including the United States.


But the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was far less tolerant, and, during an 18-month investigation, sent undercover agents to pose as customers. They asked that Mr Emery be arrested for selling to Americans, and, earlier this summer, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police picked him up.


Now he is facing extradition to the United States, where he could be sentenced to at least 10 years and possibly life in prison if he is convicted on a number of drug-related charges.


This has angered many Canadians, who even if they don't approve of Mr Emery's activities, fear that the long arm of the law in the US is now reaching across the border. They say it is wrong for a Canadian to be tried in the United State for selling marijuana seeds from his Vancouver base.


The US has far harsher penalties.


"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," Alan Young, an associate professor of law at Osgoode Hall, wrote in the Globe and Mail newspaper.


"A Canadian citizen is now exposed to US drug sentences which border on cruel and unusual punishment - for violating a law we rarely enforce in Canada," said Mr Young, who in the past has done legal work for Mr Emery.


Mr Emery, the head of the British Columbia Marijuana party, has been arrested 11 times for offences related to smoking pot or selling it over the counter at a Vancouver store, but he was usually fined or imprisoned for short periods. He says the police did not bother him once he began selling seeds exclusively through his mail-order business. But it was that business that led a federal grand jury in the United States to indict him on charges of distributing marijuana seeds, marijuana and of money laundering. The DEA says he was bringing in about $2.5m a year and that many of his customers were in the US.


He says he never tried to hide what he was doing.


"Unlike most other seed dealers, I use my real name and I'm easy to find,"


he said in a media interview in 2002.


The case highlights the dramatically different approaches to marijuana in Canada and the United States. Using the drug for medical purposes is legal in Canada, and the federal government is planning to decriminalise the possession of small amounts of the drug. Earlier this summer, an appeal court in British Columbia ruled that a two-year jail term for growing marijuana was excessive.


But that doesn't mean that a Canadian court - or ultimately the federal justice minister - will refuse to extradite Mr Emery to the US under the mutual legal assistance treaty, someone can be sent the United States to be tried for acts that are considered an offence in both countries. Selling marijuana seeds in Canada is still illegal, even if the law is rarely enforced.


If the courts rule in favour of extradition, Mr Emery's supporters say Irwin Cotler, the federal justice minister, should intervene and refuse to extradite the pot activist on the grounds that he faces cruel and unusual punishment. At the very least, they say he should get a guarantee from the US that the minimum 10-year sentence will not be enforced.


While the DEA portrays him as a wealthy drug trafficker, his supporters say Mr Emery is primarily an activist, who uses the money from his cannabis business to finance political activities. After getting out of jail on bail earlier this month, he compared himself to Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King and said he was prepared to serve time to help his crusade to legalise pot.


"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 told reporters.

[Alfa]

EMERY SUPPORTERS SPEAK OUT


Supporters of pot activist Marc Emery accused the United States of political interference yesterday at a press conference in Ottawa. The group vowed to make the arrest an issue in the next election.


"I think there are a few favours being called on," said Tim Meehan, a local Marijuana party member. Emery was arrested Friday by Canadian police on behalf of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency on charges of selling marijuana seeds over the Internet through his Vancouver-based business. "Maybe (his arrest) was a trade in for opening the border to beef," said Meehan.


Emery has not been charged in Canada with a crime. Canadian authorities have turned a blind eye to Emery's activities for the past 10 years, Meehan said, so why they would agree now to co-operate with American investigators is raising questions about what went on at the high-levels of government on both sides of the border.


"Was this an attempt to silence the marijuana reform movement, knowing that Emery's a major sponsor to reform activities?" asked Russell Barth, a member of Ottawa Friends of Marc Emery. It is estimated Emery earns about $3 million a year and is a major source of funds for Canada's Marijuana Party. If taking the party's most vocal leader and supporter out of the loop is an attempt by the U.S. administration to alter the political landscape in Canada, it will fail, Meehan said. In fact, he expects Emery's arrest, and possible extradition, to have a positive impact on his party's quest to gain a seat in the House of Commons next election. "I think we're going to get a lot of votes.


We'll make sure it is an election issue and Emery will run his campaign from jail if he has to," said Meehan, who will run in the Ottawa South riding.


Members of Ottawa Friends of Marc Emery said yesterday that his arrest and possible extradition is a case of Canada being "victimized" by the United States. "I think a lot of people who would think this is a marijuana issue need to take a broader look at this. It's a question of Canada's sovereignty," said supporter Tim Meehan.

[Alfa]

POT CASE LAUNCHES SHIRT SALE


VANCOUVER -- After Winona, Martha and Michael, you knew there was no way of avoiding it: The T-shirt was inevitable.


And sure enough, just six days after the arrest of B.C. marijuana activist Marc Emery, there it was on the Internet. At a cost of between $13.50 to $20, supporters of the Prince of Pot can get their pick of tees emblazoned with the phrase: "My Seed Supplier Was Extradited To The USA And All I Got Was This Stupid T-shirt!"


Surprisingly though, the man behind the T-shirts has never even smoked a joint.


"I'm one of those people who've never even smoked a joint because I don't really see a need for doing that," said 36-year-old Nathan Rebney. "But I don't like the U.S. coming in and getting the Vancouver police to do all their dirty work. So while I don't really support Marc Emery, I don't like what's being done."


So far, Rebney hasn't sold any of his products, which include baby tees and a mug, but the New Westminster resident says he's not too fussed.


"Do I expect to make a million dollars? No. Do I expect to make any money? No. But hey, if people get a laugh out of it, that works for me," says Rebney.


Emery was recently arrested and faces possible extradition to the United States on charges of selling marijuana seeds.

[psyvision2000]

all we can do is send are prayers out to him. I hope that this doesnt mean others operating in canada are bound for the same. I still cant belive this. I live in san francisco bay and even here were there is 44 cannabis stores in a 49 sq mile radius, they sell seeds there and clones, but this same country goes to pursue others in other countries , for a herb wich should not be a crime.