Vancouver, British Columbia: Former California gubernatorial candidate Steve Kubby is expected to return to the United States today in compliance with a “removal order” from the Canadian Immigration Ministry. Once in the US, Kubby will likely serve up to four months in jail on drug-related charges stemming from a 1999 marijuana raid on his Placer County, California home.
Kubby, his wife, and two daughters have resided in Canada since 2001. While living in Canada, Kubby received federal authorization to use cannabis to treat symptoms of a rare, life-threatening form of adrenal cancer known as pheochromocytoma. He has managed his condition since the early 1980s exclusively with cannabis and is recognized as one of the longest living survivors of the disease.
Kubby and his supporters fear that he will not be able to regulate his condition if he is denied access to medicinal cannabis while serving his sentence in the US. Nevertheless, Canadian authorities denied his request for refugee status, alleging that Kubby’s imminent incarceration and denial of medical cannabis in the US would not place his health in serious jeopardy.
California NORML Coordinator Dale Gieringer sharply criticized the Canadian government’s decision to deport Kubby to the US. “The legal persecution of Steve Kubby across international borders is testimony to the awesome grasp and power of the drug police state,” he said. “Placer county officials should be warned that if they imprison Kubby and deprive him of access to cannabis they will be seriously endangering his health and putting themselves at grave risk of legal liability.”
For more information, contact Dale Gieringer, California NORML Coordinator, at (415) 563-5858 or visit:
http://www.marijuananews.com