Pot Activist Faces Extradition [Candadian may get life in US prison for selling pot online]

GlobeandMail.com - Canada ^ | Saturday, July 30, 2005 | ROD MICKLEBURGH

[summer]

Activist Marc Emery lights up a large marijuana cigarette in front of London Ontario Police headquarters on Aug. 26, 2003...

Vancouver — Marc Emery, Canada's most prominent pro-marijuana activist, is facing the possibility of life imprisonment in the United States for selling marijuana seeds over the Internet to U.S. customers.

In a stunning development, RCMP officers arrested the self-proclaimed “Prince of Pot” in Halifax yesterday after a U.S. federal grand jury indicted him...

The charges stem from Mr. Emery's lucrative sale of marijuana seeds, an activity he has carried on from his Vancouver base with minimal legal penalty for 10 years.

“I've sold about four million seeds,” the marijuana mogul boasted in a 2002 media interview. “Unlike most other seed dealers, I use my real name and I'm easy to find.”...

Mr. Emery's supporters, four of whom were carted away for lying down in front of a police van, were outraged by the day's events.

Puffing openly on marijuana, they pounded drums, chanted at passing motorists and brandished signs damning the DEA for intruding into Canada.

“I was completely shocked,” said well-known pot activist David Malmo-Levine, who took his fight against Canada's marijuana laws to the Supreme Court of Canada.

“It's appalling for the U.S. to come in here and try to police our country. To arrest Canadians to face their penalties and their laws is completely wrong,” he said, standing in front of an upside down U.S. flag with the words “DEA Go Away” on it....

U.S. officials praised the “outstanding co-operation” of Canadian law-enforcement agencies in their 18-month investigation of Mr. Emery's seed business, 75 per cent of which they said was aimed at Americans.

[summer]

“I've sold about four million seeds,” the marijuana mogul boasted in a 2002 media interview. “Unlike most other seed dealers, I use my real name and I'm easy to find.”...

Well, then don't be surprised when you get caught!

[summer]

FYI, as some Dems online are very upset about this drug bust.

[-=[_Super_Secret_Agent_]=-]

and how is he a threat to society?

[Paleo Conservative]

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

He'll be even easier to find now.

[summer]

Read the article and you will read the other point of view on this.

[muawiyah]

He's a Canadian mobster, donchaknow, a narcotrafficante. We got plenty of jails for his kind.

Now, would you like some of our mobsters? Bet they'd live the place up, eh?!

[goldstategop]

The Canadian Left is up in arms. They see this as surrender to the pressure from the hated Bush. It would be ironic if the federal Liberals fell from power over Potgate - for being too close to the Americans.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[A CA Guy]

Real easy to find, red eyed and stupid.

[summer]

The article does mention money laundering as one of the charges.

[headsonpikes]

Marc Emery has the best marijuana law lawyer in Canada, John Conroy.

Don't count your zeks before you've gulaged 'em, chekist b*stards!

[summer]

I think the internet - for sales of anything - brings up a whole new ballgame here. This guy could have limited his sales to Canada, since he's mailing out the stuff, but, he didn't. He is selling to people in the US, where he knows the laws are different. Consequently, I can not feel that sorry for him. He sounds like he didn't care what laws existed where he was selling pot. If he cared, he could have limited his sales (and profits) to where it was legal. Just my two cents.

[muawiyah]

There'll be even more charges against him and his gang before this is over.

Blowing weed is simply a cover for what these guys are really doing ~ gets them public sympathy from brain burned bud blowers.

[summer]

See my post #11.

[headsonpikes]

Yeah, so he's an arrogant maverick, and a motor-mouth, too!

Let's lock him up for life!

There's only 2 million prison inmates, let's shoot for 3! Hell, 5 million!

[SandfleaCSC]

There is no THC in marijuana seeds. Where is the crime here?

[BlueNgold]

Care to enlighten us on what else he's up to?

[muawiyah]

He is a political leader ~ and his only issue is MJ.

Not to be believed.

[winston2]

The laws against marijuana use circa 1937 were based by a batch of lies from one lying *explicit* named Harry J.Anslinger
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/hemp/taxact/anslng1.htm
(snip)MR. MCCORMACK: What are its[cannabis] first manifestations, a feeling of grandeur and self-exaltation, and things of that sort?
MR. ANSLINGER: It[cannabis] affects different individuals in different ways. Some individuals have a complete loss of sense of time or a sense of value. They lose their sense of place. That have an increased feeling of physical strength and power.

Some people will fly into a delirious rage, and they are temporarily irresponsible and may commit violent crimes. Other people will laugh uncontrollably. It is impossible to say what the effect will be on any individual. Those research men who have tried it have always been under control. They have always insisted upon that. (snip)

Does anyone believe that locking up one merchant of fine cannabis seed is going to put the brakes on marijuana use?

[muawiyah]

Current laws are based on much more than one guy's opinion. Besides, when you get right down to it all we really want to do is take away your MJ cigarettes and grind the butts into the pavement ~ no fun for you jack ~ just hard time.

[winston2]

>all we really want to do is take away your MJ cigarettes and grind the butts into the pavement ~ no fun for you jack ~ just hard time.<


Is that sarcasm?

If not, the government is doing a terrible job of it. Marijuana is more available than ever and the quality is improving since such HIGH quality seed are available. Run a search engine for -marijuana seed- and see for yourself.
With the governments spending over seven billion per year to deal with my friends and I- looks like the U.S. citizens would be fed up by now. Also- If anyone in a decision making position really knew that the marijuana distribution network is akin to a tupperware network / Internet connection- they would do the intelligent thing and find better ways to spend the 7,000,000,000 dollars per year.