Canadian Justice Minister Rob Nicholson has reportedly signed off on an order extraditing longtime Canadian marijuana activist and publisher Marc Emery to the United States, according to the Associated Press.
Emery’s attorney stated that he will be transferred to the US imminently.
United States law enforcement officials indicted Emery in August of 2005 for selling marijuana seeds to US customers.
Under a plea agreement, Emery faces up to five years in US prison. Under Canadian law, he would face no more than one month in jail (and probation), if convicted.
In a letter from MP (member of Parliament) Libby Davies sent this week to Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, she criticized, “Your government took a rare and unnecessary step today, by extraditing a Canadian citizen to serve a prison sentence in America for actions that are not worthy of prosecution under Canadian laws.”
Marc Emery has long maintained that his prosecution was politically motivated. Upon issuing his indictment in 2005, former US DEA administrator Karen Tandy asserted that Emery’s arrest struck “a significant blow to the marijuana legalization movement. … Drug legalization lobbyists now have one less pot of money to rely on.”
For nearly two decades, Emery operated a highly visible seed bank in Vancouver. Emery declared hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes to the Canadian government, and officials at Health Canada – which oversees the nation’s legal medicinal cannabis program – frequently advised patients to purchase his seeds. Virtually all profits from Emery’s business ventures were distributed among various national and international drug law reform organizations.
Cannabis Culture has posted additional information on this development, as well as the essay: ‘75 Things You Can Do to Free Marc,’ online here.
If this really goes the distance, maybe he’ll get to go to a jurisdition with medical cannabis laws. We the people of this great country can then pay his room, board, and medical smoking needs for an entire 5 years. That would be what the good old American blind justice system deserves. If we can spend a trillion on this lost war, what’s another million after what we wasted on this stupid witch hunt with Marc? Easier than admitting we are wrong. It’s just like this country to try and make more countries hate us, even the peacefull ones now. It’s no wonder they want to attack our trade centers etc.
Once California legalizes, regulates and taxes cannabis and helps to spawn economic stimulus to help their financial woes, hopefully the rest of the U.S. will follow suit, along with every other country on this earth with ridiculous laws that infringe on individual choice and freedom.
At this time, I would like to formally nominate Marc Emery as the Worldwide Ambassador of Cannabis, travelling the world to spread goodwill and help to educate world leaders on how Cannabis can help us all to come together and achieve world wide peace and harmonious coexistence.
I believe we live in a world where THIS CAN HAPPEN!!
Anything that I can do that will help support “The Prince” and ultimately ensure his freedom I most certainly will!!!
End Slavery. . .
Legalize Freedom!
obama , the change that isn’t. one word from him and this case could be dropped.
I am in Canada and we have an equivalent to Bush in power at present. Stephan Harper born again Christian nut job, that clings to his bible just like your George Bush was. Even comes from our equivalent of the bible belt in Canada, Alberta they are serious;y waked out on their sky god myths. So maybe you can see what we are up against, yes we too have stupid people in Canada that would vote in such a poor excuse of a human being. He has a minority government, thanks to the liberal party being in total disarray and not pulling the plug on him. Attempts were made to charge him with the same crime in Canada to neutralize the US charges and that was stopped through underhanded methods. Also you must realize that the US, like it does with other countries, threatens things like trade problems if we don’t bow to US demands. Harper is such a mental midget that he believes the US can hurt Canada, which it can’t we just turn the taps off on Oil Sands oil to get their attention. But He is keeping the tradition of Conservatives in Canada which have always been the doormat for the USA. Perfect example is John Diefenbaker which sold out our aerospace program to US interests with the Avro arrow(many engineers from Avro went on to help NASA in your moon missions). Harper also recently sold out the lumber industry over a nafta battle, that we were winning, to the US lobby.
Hello James (of comment 54),
I definately sympathize with all Canadians (I’m American) that must endure someone that is equivalent to Bush. I consider Bush to be THE worst president our country has ever had. I’m still hopeful that his replacement, President Obama, will be an improvement but it remains to be seen… I voted for him but, sadly, am not impressed with him thus far. He still has a chance to win the hearts of freedom loving Americans but he’s running out of time. He is a much better speaker than Bush, but doesn’t seem to be all that different philosophically. It seems that he fooled us!
for all he has done, i say we promote the
‘Prince of Pot’, Marc Emery,
to ‘KING of CANNABIS’
My government has embarassed me with this one.
i was just thinking emery’s case is not very different from u.k. “hacker” gary mckinnon’s…
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/gary-mckinnon-they-cant-return-me-to-a-place-i-wasnt-in-1974573.html
so my question is has emery ever been to the united states? could he possibly fight extradition on the idea that he cannot be “returned” to a place he has never been…as mckinnon is (i think) currently doing in the u.k.
At a cost of $40,000 per a year to put him in jail and the costs of putting him there total at least a million Dollars!!! Once again Marc has contributed to f-ing over our govt. Civil disobedience at work!! Thank you Marc for the seeds and your time.
mremery goes to prison for selling seeds that clean the air when grown?bp dumps crude oil into gulf of mexico and its someoneelses fault. I hate our goverment !
Sorry for russian text.
I wished to tell that to the motto “the World without drugs!” Everything should follow, and undertake REAL actions, and not just mere words and promises. Do not shut eyes to it. Encourage at least good actions, and aspire than to help that to put an end to this nonsense.
“THE LONG ARM OF THE LAW NEEDS TO BE AMPUTADED -AND – SHOVED UP LAWS ASS…PERIOD!!!…AND…THAT’S ALL I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THAT.”
Im embaressed to live in America. Such an uneducated country.
63 Gregory M Roszewski
The only thing you should be embaressed about is “IF” you voted for Progressives. No offense Gregory – but -if you don’t like this country…leave it. If on the other hand – you like this country…fight for it. I’m sorry for your emotions – but – when you deal with human beings…you must deal with human being problems.
May I suggest you investigate a tea party.
So sorry to see this is happening to Marc. I, like so many American citizens are fed up with this kind of stupid behavior out of our government. This will only work to strengthen our resolve to push for the reform of marijuana laws here in the USA. On behalf of the average US citizen, Marc we sincerely apologize.
P.S. Canada please stick up for your own. Don’t kiss the ass of the of the US legal system from now on!
Naw it cant be true elite seed dealing Canadian activist don’t go to prison they get a weekend or a few months at most in jail as duped and drugged supporters weep while the common man rots away forgotten for decades.
Surely Mark will be on parole after serving a short deal making let me out of here sentence. Mark is learning to do what he is told to do training for the day his handlers turn him out on puppet strings to play the Chuck of plot. To paraphrase Judas Bennett when the ship goes down the dirty rats swim or drown.
Frankly Emery is a poster boy for the DEA they let him go as long as they could if he would stop confessing and chasing spotlights he could serve a token elitist sentence in silence. Emery would serve the legalization movement best in prison with major drug king pins.
Mexican drug gang murderers and hey kids pot is cool self promoting seed salesmen will never replace the small time dealers growers and users overflowing our prisons. Well Mark I hope that you get what you have worked so hard for what you have ask for all these years.
I want to see a POT TV exclusive reality show, Marc in a cell without a mic now that would send a message. See Marc pay his dues 24/7 perhaps a real time web cam screen saver.
soon…there will be war on the un-just criminals of wall street and the whitehouse soon…there will be freedom soon… America will no longer have its contitution translated by forein power I say the buildenburgs should be tryed for treason Obama and hilary to name a few soon…we will have Civil war
then when finished we will have an American President for Americans by Americans soon every person that is sworn in will be tried for treason if alternitive Agendas are found to be…
Remember this trying to formulate a world goverment
is illegal not marc emerys calling
Here is a letter I wrote for the New Hampshire Free Press.
It is in the August/September issue of their paper at:
http://www.newhampshirefreepress.com
What a shame that a hero like Marc Emery was taken as a political prisoner and is being held in jail because he sent cannabis seeds to Americans.
In a year when the BP oil catastrophe destroys so much and no one is to blame except the company, why do the authorities go after Marc who has destroyed nothing?
The Pan Am Flight 103 (Lockerbie, Scotland) Bomber is free now, but Marc Emery is in jail.
In an age where celebrities get preferred treatment in jail while Mr. Emery gets solitary for something trivial, we all need to take a stand.
After all, justice is not just.
The scales do not balance.
The system is wrong.
Activists know this and most people are waking up to it.
In Los Angeles, the police were told to turn their backs on pot smokers.
That is significant because Marc may be transferred to the very state where L.A. is located.
Marc Emery sent cannabis seeds by mail, but people can smoke pot out in the open there.
Something is wrong with this picture.
Paid for votes talk.
Wealth talks, but freedom and the right to live free seems to be illegal in many circumstances.
We sure have “come a long way, baby”, but in the other direction.
The wrong direction.
Our forefathers founded a nation based on freedom.
Abraham Lincoln even said … “That government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
What this means is that the government is owned by the people.
The problem today is that most people do not know this.
They have been led for decades by a corrupt government that has bullied its way with lies and arrests of innocent people like Marc Emery.
It is based on greed and power.
The fact is that the U.S. Government is threatened by those who want to take freedom back.
This government has done far worse than Marc.
Sending cannabis seeds does not compare to the crimes of our so-called leaders in Washington, the FBI, the CIA, the IRS and other government criminals.
Thomas Jefferson once said … “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.”
Take a stand.
Free Marc Emery.
George Vreeland Hill
Marc Emery is Jesus and his wife is an angel. I have been smoking since I was a one year old baby. I am a gay man and had sex with Marc and his wife watched. I love him the death. He is always a good fuck and gives me the green I can smoke and spend.
There is a flesh eating bacteria outbreak on the green in this country. The Federal government needs to legalize the green to keep America safe. No more flesh eating green!