Canada's 'Prince of Pot' Jailed for Passing a Joint

PRESS RELEASE

AUGUST 19, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CANADAâ??S PROVOCATIVE â??PRINCE OF POTâ?? GOES TO JAIL FOR PASSING JOINTS

SASKATOON â?? Marc Emery, President of the B.C. Marijuana Party, founder of POT-TV.net and one of Canadaâ??s most media-savvy and provocative pot activists was sentenced to 90 days in jail in a Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Provincial Court late this afternoon on a charge of trafficking marijuana. The charge stem from a March 22, 2004 incident following a political speech Emery gave at the University of Saskatoon in the run up to the federal election.

Emery shared two marijuana cigarettes with individuals who met with him after attending his speech. Currently under Canadian law the non-commercial transfer of marijuana between individuals, even for the purposes of sharing, is considered trafficking. The proposed Liberal governmentâ??s decriminalization bill would not change this aspect of the law despite strong objections by the NDP.

A Statistics Canada report released July 21 revealed that over one third (over ten million Canadians) have used marijuana in their lifetime. Presumably in most if not all of these instances, marijuana was transferred between individuals on a non-commercial basis (i.e. shared with a friend or spouse). Many Canadians would be surprised to learn that simply passing a joint between friends is considered trafficking under law and would lead to being put in jail. The charge of trafficking carries with it a possible seven year jail sentence for simply passing a joint to a friend.

Following his arrest Emery spent three nights in jail, was forced to pay $3,500 bail and additional legal costs, as well as agree to stipulations severely restricting his rights and freedoms â?? all for passing two joints. As one of the most tenacious, prominent and visible leaders of the cannabis political movement in Canada, Emeryâ??s incarceration is sure to set off political fireworks in the coming months as an growing and embolden pro-legalization activist community prepares to launch a full offensive against the governmentâ??s effort to revive a failed decriminalization bill in the fall. Emeryâ??s case stands as an example of how the weak and ill-conceived Liberal decriminalization bill would do very little to improve the lives of Canadians and the flaws inherent in the current system.

Activists hope to use Emeryâ??s situation as an example to convey the sense of injustice that continues to be felt as a result of a thirty year failure to reform Canadaâ??s outdated prohibition laws. In this day and age, no Canadian should be subjected to a prison for pot use between friends, say activists. In 2002, the Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs unanimously found that the policy of prohibiting marijuana causes more harm to Canadians than inherently exists from marijuana use alone. On June 5, 2004, just weeks before the federal election, Emery spoke to a crowd of thousands at an unprecedented pro-legalization rally on Parliament Hill. Emery was scheduled to appear next at the Canabian Day festival in Hamilton on Saturday August 21.

Contact Info:

Marc Emeryâ??s legal counsel, Leanne Johnson 306-249-6592 or 306-717-4157
Media Contact BC Marijuana Party, Pot TV (604)684-7076; or Chris Bennett(604) 215-7973

For more Information On-Line: http://www.cannabisculture.com/forum...&Board=current