usa
DEA Admitted Marc Emery's Arrest Was Political
The US Drug Enforcement Administration admitted on the day of Marc Emery's arrest (July 29th, 2005) that his investigation and extradition were politically motivated, designed to target the Marijuana Legalization organization that Emery spearheaded and ran for over a decade in Canada.
Here is the original text of DEA Administrator Karen Tandy's statement released on July 29th, 2005:
Today's DEA arrest of Marc 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. Read more »
Send Marc Emery Mail or Money in US Prison
Marc is at Yazoo City Correctional Institution in Mississippi. Please send him letters, news updates, and photos. He needs our support to get through the next few years.
MARC EMERY #40252-086
FCI YAZOO CITY - MEDIUM E-1
P.O. BOX 5888
YAZOO CITY, MS
39194
Pot legalization efforts forge ahead in key U.S. states
ALEX DOBUZINSKIS, Reuters Published: Toronto Sun
Efforts to legalize marijuana for recreational use are gaining momentum in Washington state and Colorado, despite fierce opposition from the federal government and a decades-long cultural battle over America’s most commonly used illicit drug.
Officials in Washington state on Friday said an initiative to legalize pot has enough signatures to qualify for the ballot in November. In Colorado, officials are likely this week to make a similar determination about an initiative there.
Supporters are prepared to possibly spend millions of dollars ahead of the November ballot, when they hope a strong voter turnout, particularly among youth, for the U.S. presidential election will aid their cause. Read more »
Can private jails come to Canada?
By donalee Moulton, The Lawyers Weekly
A controversial report from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) slams private prisons and mass incarceration in the U.S. for harming imprisoned individuals and the government’s bottom line while making companies extremely wealthy.
Legal experts in Canada say that the same jailhouse problems — escalating violence, increased costs, and overcrowding — exist in this country, and the federal government’s new omnibus crime bill may sow the seeds for private prisons here. There is, however, a constitutional issue that may make this impossible. The federal government is also saying private prisons are not coming to Canada. Read more »
Marc Emery marks hopeful halfway point in U.S. prison sentence
By: James Lewis CKNW AM 980
B.C.’s self-proclaimed "prince of pot" is marking a milestone this week, as he passes the half-way point of his sentence in an American prison.
In September 2010, Marc Emery was sentenced to five years for selling marijuana seeds by mail and phone order.
He's now serving his time at a prison in Yazoo City, Mississippi.
Emery’s wife, Jodie, says with good behaviour, he'll qualify for early release in July of 2014.
"But if for any reason, he should lose his good time, good behaviour time, he'll be there until early 2015."
Last year, Emery's supporters tried to gain the attention of the White House, with more than 9,000 signatures on an official petition. Read more »
Christmas Prison Blog: It's A Wonderful Life
I chose that title for today's Christmas blog because I do believe it is a wonderful life, and it's much too short. The Frank Capra Christmas classic "It's a Wonderful Life" was a reminder to: 1) never underestimate the good you have done and the good you can do in the world, 2) be grateful for the love you have, and 3) be grateful for whatever you do have, it could be much worse!
Marc Emery: Support Ron Paul for President!
Choosing the next President of the United States begins in Iowa in mere weeks. For the cannabis culture, 25 million people in the United States, there is only one option: Ron Paul. Read more »
A warning to Canada from inside the "Tough On Crime" US prison system
In lieu of the imminent passage of Bill C-10, the crime bill with mandatory minimums for all drug offenses involving manufacture and distribution – which the Harper Conservatives are set to pass in the Canadian Parliament – it is reflective to consider how the US criminal justice system has gotten completely out of control with these mandatory minimum sentences.
Once mandatory minimums are put in any criminal justice regime, they almost never get repealed despite the disastrous effect on the public safety, the treasuries of the state and federal government, and the cruelty that punishes victims and their families.
Read more »White House Responds to 'Pardon Marc Emery' Petition
CANNABIS CULTURE - The White House has finally issued a response to the "Pardon Marc Emery" petition signed by 8,249 people calling for Obama to pardon Marc and send him home to Canada. Not surprisingly, the answer is mostly a disappointing non-response: the White House has "declined to comment".
Here is the original "Pardon Marc Emery" petition text submitted to the WhiteHouse.gov website's "We The People" petition campaign: Read more »
Thanks For Your Mail And Letters
In my 20-plus months in prison for this 'legalization' offense (to quote DEA head Karen Tandy), I've received about 3,000 letters from supporters, 95% of whom I have never met, and responded to about 1,250 of them. Read more »
