Dear Canadian Citizens:
I am writing you today with respect to the up coming extradition trial of a Canadian citizen by the name of Mark Emery. Here is my concern and why I am interested in his plight: There are 14 US states that have legalized the use of cannabis as medication. Persons who have received a recommendation from their physician and who have registered with their state have the legal right in those states to grow, have on their person, and use cannabis to relieve them from the symptoms that they’re experiencing because of their malady.
What use is it to give them that right but deny them the ability to purchase cannabis seeds to grow with?
There are no cannabis seed brokers here in the United States after all. Even though there are plenty of compassion clubs legally selling marijuana, hashish, hash oil and other cannabis products, cannabis seeds remain in short supply—not all patients are purchasing their prescriptions through compassion clubs, but choose instead to grow their own plants.
Furthermore, Karen Tandy of the United States Drug Enforcement Agency made it very clear that her main objective for choosing to go after Mr. Emery was political—her public announcement of Mr. Emery’s arrest stated that she had put an end to Mr. Emery’s financial support of groups that aim to end Marijuana Prohibition. Mrs. Tandy’s reasons were therefore illegal under the US Constitution. Please read the original statement she made about Mr. Emery and his arrest at the DEA’s own website: http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/pressrel/pr081105.html
Last and most important, Please let it known that the US charges against Mr. Emery are for trafficking in Marijuana. He never sold cannabis to anyone in the US —only cannabis seeds. Therefore, the DEA is lying. Furthermore, they are charging him with money laundering. Since when is contributing to political organizations like NORML considered money laundering? In addition to the above, Mrs. Tandy’s claim that Mr. Emery’s profits were illicit is a complete fraud. Not only was his business a legitimate enterprise, he claimed income taxes on the sale of cannabis seeds every year—for years the Government of Canada gladly took his money. And as you may know, the Canadian Government not only purchased cannabis seeds from Mr. Emery for their Underground Hydroponic Marijuana Farm (Prairie Plant Systems, Saskatoon Canada ), but also recommended that patients with prescriptions for marijuana purchase their seeds from him. The action taken by Karen Tandy against a Canadian citizen was undoubtedly a self-serving, political, hypocritical, and illegal one. Mr. Emery should be set free and not serve another day in jail. He should not be shackled and sent down south to be prosecuted for something that the Canadian Government wouldn’t even prosecute him for. Such a tragedy would be more than draconian, it would be a shameful blow to Canada’s sovereignty.
Sincerely,
Craig Whitney (A concerned US citizen)
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Just because it may have been legal to sell cannabis seeds here in Canada does not mean that its legal in ANOTHER COUNTRY! The one fundamental thing we must NEVER forget is that when you break the law IN ANOTHER COUNTRY you are subject to their present laws at that time! If he sold illegal cannabis seeds into the USA then he must face the consequences, THEIR CONSEQUENCES!
He may be Canadian but he’s just another money-grubbing DRUG DEALER!
Hey Ontarian, you don’t see the USA extraditing people from the Netherlands do you? Fact is, Marc Emery was IN CANADA. He wasn’t IN THE USA when this happened. He was running a legal and valid company and paying full taxes into the government that let him run his company. Did you not read that even our government bought seeds from his company?
There are clear disclaimers on all order companies that if you order something, make sure it is legal in your country, the reason for this is because it is the End User (the one that ordered the product), that should be charged and facing time over this (if they broke a law in their own country). This is purely politically motivated. Had this been anyone else, this wouldn’t be going on.
Grimalot, you need to read a little faster than you think. I did mention that he sold his stuff here in Canada legally it would seem. If the US government has not gone after anyone in the Netherlands then it stands to reason that no-one there has broken the law. Lol about your End Users, if we go along with your thinking we’d not bother the drug dealers and only prosecute the people buying drugs, including our children. You say this is politically motivated but I cannot see any political party has anything to gain by letting Mark Emery appear before the courts in the US on HIS OWN VOLITION!
The following comes from WIKIPEDIA and I quote:
Emery and his two associates, all charged in the United States with drug and money laundering offences, each faced a minimum 10-year sentence and the possibility of life imprisonment if convicted there.
On January 14, 2008, Emery had agreed to a tentative plea-bargain with U.S. authorities. The terms of the agreement were a 5-year prison term to be served in both Canadian and U.S. prisons.[88] In return, he demanded the charges against his friends Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams be dropped.[89]
(An appeal court judge ruled on March 7, 2008 in a similar case that a one-month jail sentence and probation constituted an adequate sentence for the crime of marijuana seed selling in Canada. This could possibly have been used to Emery’s advantage in his fight against extradition.[90])
On March 27, 2008 the plea-bargain deal collapsed because of the refusal of the Canadian Conservative government to approve its side of the arrangement.[91]
In late 2008, an extradition hearing was scheduled for June, 2009.[92][93] However, before those hearings Emery agreed to plead guilty to one charge of drug distribution and accept a five-year sentence in the USA.[94][95]
On September 21, 2009, Emery entered his guilty plea, and on September 28, he was incarcerated in a British Columbia prison awaiting extradition to a US federal prison to serve the five year sentence. There is a 30 day appeal period before extradition.
Emery was granted bail on November 18, after seven weeks in the pre-trial centre, to await the Justice Minister’s decision on the extradition order.
While Emery was imprisoned, his supporters held a 24-hour Constant Vigil outside the prison with tents and banners for 45 days, ending when Emery was released on bail.[96]
[edit] Business licence
Emery claims he’s been having troubles with the City of Vancouver, as he’s been refused a licence renewal for his Vancouver businesses on West Hastings Street. This comes despite thousands of dollars in renovations as requested.[97]
So let me understand. Our Prime Minister and our security forces needed to watch Marc Emery and his pals. They specifically set out all kinds of labour, trade craft and effort to watch him because of some potential problem he might represent to the moral and rigid views of certain incredibly powerful people. No one however from the Prime Minister on down want to watch our military officers. Col. Psycho in Trenton who had command of an actual army with tricky cool nuclear suitcases and guys that will follow orders was not watched. I am grateful that Col. Williams didn’t decide to cross the river with his army and attack the US. Who gets the credit for deciding to watch Marc Emery but not watch Col. Psycho? What a disgrace. How about the rest of our military executive? Anyone have dinner with Joe Stalin last night?
Big Brother is watching and so am I. CSIS tells me that Joe Stalin was bumped in 53.