420 is happening on Wednesday next week! Are you celebrating our culture and taking a stand for our freedom? BIG NEWS in Canada with a major court decision! And Jodie has prison photos from her last visit with Marc in Georgia, as he's in Oklahoma waiting to be moved to Mississippi. Go to http://www.WhyProhibition.ca and sign up to find out who you should vote for in the upcoming federal election on MAY 2nd, MONDAY so we can stop the Conservatives from sending us all to prison and destroying Canada!
Jodie tells us about a move for Marc to a new prison, so he's no longer in Georgia. The federal election is looming in Canada, so vote on May 2nd! Go to http://whyprohibition.ca to find out how you can help defeat Stephen Harper and the Conservatives. Jodie shares new pics from Marc's birthday, festival updates and more!
CANNABIS CULTURE – The United States Department of Justice has refused imprisoned political activist Marc Emery's transfer back to Canada, meaning he will likely spend the majority of his five-year sentence in a US federal prison.
In a phone call placed this afternoon from a prisoner transfer center in Oklahoma, Marc informed his wife and fellow activist Jodie Emery that he received a letter from the Canadian consulate with news the US government would not approve his treaty transfer back to Canada due to "the seriousness of the offence" and "law enforcement concerns". View the rejection notice PDF file here.
If the US and Canadian governments had approved the transfer, Marc would have been moved to a Canadian prison, closer to his friends and family, and would have been eligible for parole almost immediately upon his return. Twenty-three current and previously-elected representatives from every level of government in Canada had signed a letter to the Department of Justice asking for Marc to be transferred to Canada. View that official letter below:
Click to enlarge
"I'm really stunned and greatly saddened," Jodie told Cannabis Culture. "It looks like the DEA and the US government want their pound of flesh, and they want Marc to suffer down there as a non-violent, peaceful political party leader imprisoned for his activism. This is devastating."
Known as the Prince of Pot in Canada, cannabis activist Marc Emery was extradited to the US by the Conservative government on May 10, 2010 after a five year court battle. In 2005, his marijuana seed shop, Marc Emery Direct Seeds, was raided and shut down in a joint effort by Canadian and US authorities.
Marc, who was founder of the BC Marijuana Party and Cannabis Culture Magazine, was arrested for shipping pot seeds in the mail to the US, though the DEA admitted in its own press release that the activist's arrest was a political act, stating:
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.
His marijuana trade and propagandist marijuana magazine have generated nearly $5 million a year in profits that bolstered his trafficking efforts, but those have gone up in smoke today.
Emery and his organization had been designated as one of the Attorney General's most wanted international drug trafficking organizational targets — one of only 46 in the world and the only one from Canada.
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 and Canada. Drug legalization lobbyists now have one less pot of money to rely on.
"This refusal is a terrible affront to the sovereignty of Canada," said Emery's Canadian counsel, Kirk Tousaw. "Marc is a target of political persecution that appears to have transcended his conviction and now infects the treaty transfer process. He qualifies under every relevant factor and should have been allowed to serve out his jail term in Canada, close to his wife Jodie and in the country in which all of his activity took place. We call upon Prime Minister Harper and the leaders of the Liberal Party and NDP to stand up for this Canadian hero and demand his immediate repatriation."
According to Tousaw, Marc has the right to re-apply for another transfer in two years time. In the meantime, his wife and supporters vowed to exhaust every option to secure his swift return to Canada.
"Marc has never harmed anyone and has devoted his life to fighting oppression," Jodie said. "He's been punished for speaking out for the rights of tens of millions of cannabis consumers here and in the US and it's truly frightening. Canadians who feel Marc has been treated unfairly with an unjust five-year US prison sentence for seeds should punish the Conservatives in the federal election on May 2nd for extraditing Marc in the first place."
The circumstances surrounding Marc's learning of the refusal are also peculiar.
"It is impermissible under the professional conduct rules in the District of Columbia for lawyers to communicate directly with a represented person, or cause others to communicate with a represented person, without going through their lawyer," Tousaw said.
"Here, neither I nor [Emery's US lawyer] Ms. Royce were told of the US refusal. Instead, the US apparently told the Canadian Consulate first and it was the Consulate that informed Marc. This is very unusual and should not have happened. It makes me wonder whether the US and Canada are engaged in ongoing dialogue about Marc and lends support to the belief that politics are still influencing the process."
Go to FreeMarc.ca to find out more about Marc Emery and how to help bring him home.
Get out and VOTE on MAY 2! Click here for more election information from Cannabis Culture and find out how to strategically vote out the Stephen Harper and the Conservatives.
Pictures from Marc! Canada goes to the polls in a federal election on May 2nd – help save Canada! Go to http://whyprohibition.ca/ and sign up today. News about 4/20 in Vancouver, US east-coast marijuana laws being discussed, and much more.
With 420 just around the corner, the Toronto Freedom Festival is in jeopardy and the Seattle Hempfest survives! Marc is assigned new work in the prison and Jodie talks about a looming federal election here in Canada. To find out how you can help defeat Harper and the Conservatives go to: http://www.cannabisculture.com/ http://whyprohibition.ca/ http://catch22campaign.ca/
March 10th, 2011: Jodies shows us pictures of Marc and his fellow inmates at D Ray James Correctional Facility, and shares their stories, one that illustrates the horrors of the drug war. More artwork to share from the artist inmates. Jodie also talks about an upcoming election and how you can help to stop the Conservatives.
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2YpzcakgDU
March 18th, 2011: Jodie testifies at the Washington State Legislature's Ways and Means Committee about legalizing cannabis. She meets John McKay, the man who prosecuted Marc and has now changed his mind. Hempology 101 at the University of Vancouver Island has been canceled. Pictures and news of Marc and more amazing art the inmates have made. Please continue to write to the Dept. of Justice and The Bureau of Prisons. Get all the info at http://freemarc.ca/
Marc helps make changes in the D. Ray James Correctional Institution in Georgia — and his bad spider bite is getting better. Jodie shares an amazing present from Marc, a purse made out of folded-up chip bags, done by the artist inmates. The Toronto Freedom Festival is not so free… denied a permit for the first time ever. Cannabis Culture will still be there with 40,000 others marching in the Global Marijuana March, which is still happening at the same location as the Freedom Festival, as always. Go to http://www.CannabisCulture.com for updates!
Jodie talks about a prison lockdown, the warden getting fired, Marc getting a bad spider bite (or worse?), and more. She shares a wall hanging made by inmates, and a beautiful piece of art from a supporter. Read Marc's prison blog at http://www.cannabisculture.com for his review of improvements made at the prison after he filed complaints. And plan ahead for the Toronto Freedom Festival and Global Marijuana March on Saturday, May 7th! HELP FREE MARC EMERY!
These three most recent videos have news and information about Marc delivered by his wife Jodie. Subscribe to the Pot TV channel on YouTube for Jodie Emery's weekly video updates. Hear about visits, Marc's reports, and more!
Feb. 3: Jodie gives an update about visiting Marc in prison, and posting his newsletters at http://www.cannabisculture.com. She also shares a code to get 15% off your orders at the Cannabis Culture online store — http://www.cannabisculture.com/store (only until February 14th!) — and reports that former Governor of New Mexico, Gary Johnson, has agreed to write to the Department of Justice on Marc's behalf. Get your representatives to do the same! Write to your politicians to request Marc's quick return to Canada at http://www.freemarc.ca Also, don't forget the CannaMed Fair happening this weekend in Vancouver… see you there! http://www.cannamedfair.ca
Feb. 10: Join Jodie as she reflects on the recent CannaMed Fair, tells us how the Liberal Party of Canada is going to vote No on Bill S-10 (great news!), and, as always, updates everyone about how Marc is doing while serving his sentence in Georgia. Marc has been depressed lately, so please write a letter: http://freemarc.ca/group/freemarcca/send-mail-and-money-marc-emery-us-federal-prison
Feb. 17: Jodie shares her frustrating prison visits on Marc's birthday weekend, and encourages you to call the D. Ray James Correctional Facility at 912-496-6242 to POLITELY voice your concerns about the new policy of no hand-holding during inmate visits. Come to the Victoria annual Hempology 101 conference on Sunday, February 20th at the University of Victoria! Also, Hemp Hoodlamb coats are 50% off! Go to http://www.cannabisculture.com/store or come down to Cannabis Culture Headquarters at 307 West Hastings St. in downtown Vancouver. HELP GET MARC HOME and send him mail! http://www.FreeMarc.ca
Marc’s US transfer application has been sent to the Department of Justice, and we need your letters of support right away! Go to "How you can help" at www.FreeMarc.ca and write a letter today! Jodie also tells us about the up coming CannaMed Fair in Vancouver, and shares a birthday heart gift from Marc, made by the inmates in Georgia.
CANNABIS CULTURE – The United States Department of Justice has refused imprisoned political activist Marc Emery's transfer back to Canada, meaning he will likely spend the majority of his five-year sentence in a US federal prison.
