Here's something I just wrote for our website. It will be online in a few hours but I thought I should post it here as well.



Marc Emery imprisoned in Regina

Pot activist jailed for second time during his cross-country "Summer of Legalization" tour.

By Dana Larsen

Cannabis Culture publisher Marc Emery's "Summer of Legalization" tour is turning into a "Summer of Busts," as Emery was imprisoned for the second time on Saturday, July 12, in Regina, Saskatchewan, for possession of marijuana.

Emery's cross-country tour was inspired by recent court decisions which have legalized possession of marijuana in Ontario. Judges in the provinces of Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia have upheld the Ontario ruling as applying equally across all of Canada.

In early July, Emery announced that he would be travelling across Canada, stopping at 16 cities to openly smoke pot at rallies in front of their main police stations. His "Summer of Legalization" tour was aimed at promoting pot's new legal status by forcing the issue and standing down the police.

Emery had already held a rally in front of the Toronto police headquarters, and the police simply ignored the event and refused to even give comment to the media. Yet the nationwide tour did not have such an auspicious start.

At his first stop in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on July 9, Emery was arrested and held overnight for possession of the half-gram he had in his treasured "Canucks Bong."

The next day, Emery had been scheduled to appear in Dauphin, Manitoba, but because of his jail time he missed his flight. Instead, Emery spoke to the Dauphin gathering of about 50 over the phone, with his words being amplified for the crowd.

Yet even without Emery's direct presence, Dauphin police felt obliged to make arrests – two of the rally participants were busted for possession.

The next rally was scheduled for Saturday, July 12, at the Regina police station. According to reports from those who attended the rally, Emery made a speech to the crowd, and then was arrested while taking a hit from a "Saskatchewan Roughriders" bong donated by a local store, Head to Head Novelties.

The bong was seized, and Emery was taken to jail where he had expected to remain for two nights, until Monday. Yet Emery was released late Saturday night, and planned to return to Vancouver on Sunday, July 13.

According to initial reports, two other people were also arrested by police. One arrest was for obstruction of justice, as a man layed his body in the path between the cops and Emery, and another arrest was made for possession.

"We must acknowledge that marijuana is already legal in Canada," Emery had told the crowd in a speech before his toke and arrest. "I am here to assert my rights as a Canadian, to be able to smoke and possess marijuana anywhere in Canada! I'm not breaking the law here. We're having a legal demonstration to celebrate the smoking of a legal plant, which has been legal since August 1, 2001, and we need the Attorney General of Saskatchewan to admit that this is the case!"

In a pamphlet he handed out at his events, Emery explained the legal basis of his claim that marijuana is legal across Canada. "It is my belief that since a Court of Appeal has struck down the cannabis possession law, and that at the time of the verdict of the Court of Appeal in July 2000 the government did not appeal the decision, but agreed to abide by the ruling, then in fact ... cannabis possession is not an offense known to law anywhere in Canada."

In an interview with David Malmo-Levine on Pot-TV, Regina activist Chris Buors described the Regina protest and Emery's arrest. "It was a beautiful show from the citizens of Regina. There was 60, perhaps 70 people, they were cheering, they were responsive to Marc's message. Marc wowed the crowd for 20 minutes, then at 4:20 he lit up just like he promised he would, and the Regina city police came out and arrested him."

Buors also explained that police had told Marc that if he continued his tour they would arrest him everywhere he went. "They threatened to extradite him from Regina," added Buors, indicating that Emery could have been returned to Winnipeg and jailed for breaching the Winnipeg judge's order that he not continue his tour or further challenge the marijuana possession laws. The Winnipeg judge had told Emery that continued protests could result in his being imprisoned until his September trial date for the possession charge.


"Marc is a remarkable individual," concluded Buors. "I've never seen anybody with more heart for the cause than Marc in my life."

Marc Emery plans to continue his cross-country tour. The next stop is Halifax, on July 19.



Contact these Winnipeg and Regina newspapers with your opinion on Emery's protest and arrest:

Regina Leader-Post: letters@leaderpost.com
Winnipeg Free Press: letters@freepress.mb.ca
Winnipeg Sun: editor@wpgsun.com


Media reports on the Marc Emery's "Summer of Legalization" tour:

- Winnipeg Free Press: 2 Dauphin men charged with pot possession (July 11)
- Winnipeg Sun: Smokin' mad II (letter to the editor, July 11)
- Winnipeg Sun: Marijuana Activist Banned From Lighting Up (July 10)
- Winnipeg Free Press: Dauphin next stop for crusader (July 10)
- Winnipeg Sun: Pot Prince Popped (July 10)
- Winnipeg Sun: Cop-Shop Pot Party Planned (July 9)
- London Free Press: Marijuana Users Light Up Outside Toronto Police HQ (June 20)


Cannabis Culture archive articles on the "Summer of Legalization" tour:

Marc Emery released from Winnipeg jail
Marc Emery arrested in Winnipeg
Marc Emery announces his cross-country tour
Marc Emery announces his cross-country protest plans on Pot-TV

Mainstream media reports on the legal situation in Ontario and Canada:

- Regina Leader-Post: Mixed signals given by judges in Saskatchewan (July 5)
- The Barrie Advance: OPP Await Outcome Of Pot Appeal (June 13)
- Buffalo News: Ontario Backs Off Pot Arrests (June 8)
- Toronto Sun: Pot chaos spreading (June 7)


Cannabis Culture archive articles on the legal situation in Ontario and Canada:

Marijuana legal in Ontario
Canada's cannabis confusion
The decriminalization that wasn't

thats great dana thanks for letting us all know and giving all the info and great artical btw i have two letters sent and am still working on more it would be great if someone would post e-mail addys and numbers to government offices like permiers or even the PM now if your gonna show the heads of state what you think there the ones to tell also MLA's MP's and other locial officials are great as well the more that write and call these people the more they listen and i'm sure they'd love to know what the VOTERS think

thanks again for the info dana

Dana, as usual your writing is great, I am always left wanting more......................you have really got this journalism thing down, man, way to draw 'em in............

Marc,

Very good form. Man....I tell you. I wish I lived up there with you folks in Canada. I live here in the states were the future is not quite so bright for the responsible grower/smoker. I BELIEVE in your cause! I believe in freedom. I also believe in self responsiblity. That is something that americans have a problem with. They always like to blame their actions on some outside stimuli. I wish we more leaders like yourself. The more and more I read threads on this forum the more and more my energy and mindpower seems to start going into this cause. I am not sure if you read all these posts that registered forum members post like myself. But I have posted on numerous thread topics that you have started. Is there anything here in the states that I could do or help you with. I just want to feel apart of this. PM me please.

I am glad to see you are able to get out of the steel and concrete cage that the government placed you for such a minor infraction. All this police power wasted on you while killers, rapists, and violence are present in everyday life. Some what of a mind boggle to me.

I will end with this quote I made up for all those who are unresposible in the U.S of A. "Marijuana may be a GATEWAY drug; however, he who CHOOSES to proceed through the gates should take responiblity for it, and not BLAME the symptom. YOU, YOURSELF are the GATEWAY. YOU should be outlawed."

OvErGrOw

Savage

Here's another mirror of the movie.

http://spell.shacknet.nu/S.O.L.smokeout.DivX.xipperhead.com.avi

-Spelly

I have a really good video of the entire 1 1/2 rally that took place in the at the Dauphin RCMP HQ led by the Sweet Hemptations Staff and Me John Woods in Marcs absensce as well as I gave Marc a disc with 200 digital still pics of the Dauphin rally and a seperate disc with 100 digital still pics of Winnipeg Rally unfortunately I was busy Handing out CC mags and Flyers at the Regina Rally so I only got about 30 good pics there. I also gave Marc a nice collection of news articles and a video with me descibing the Sweet Hemptations Raid. I would like to make sure the correct amount of people is listed for the Dauphin Rally as it was no less then 100 individual people as you will see in the video and future pics. I was in attendance at the Win, Dauphin ,and Regina Rallies and the turn out at The Dauphin RCMP was at least double of that in Win. and Regina even though Marc was reported Arrested and in jail. Plus the RCMP used every intimidation tactic they could including but no limited to a pre-released news break that anyone attending the rally would be arrested for smoking. Plus the entire crowd would be video taped by RCMP officers for future investigation. There was also a over abbundance of officers standing around more officers then I have ever seen in the same location at one time in Dauphin. They also secured a 4 block radious. I personally did not even see this type of POLICE presence at a Murder scene here two yrs. ago. This made approx. 40 people to line the streets ajacent to the RCMP hq in order to avoid video tapeing officers. Believe me they were there to support us no matter what. All were yelling and cheering to our loud speaker brodcasting. I have never had to lead a rally before. This was my first try hope I did it justice I have had a tremendous amount of people coming to Sweet Hemptations wanting to know when we were going to do it again and thanking me for re enegizing activist side. this to me seems like it was all good. There were a few things I believe I could have done better. I feel I bungled the annoucement of med pot being released and I should have went a little easier on the police being 50% my customers.
As I mentioned earlier this was my first time as the spokesperson but I liked it and would gladly do it again if I were informed more then 5 minutes to show time. One of the things I have noticed from these rallies is that the flyers say 4:20 they should read 4:00 as lots of the croud tends to arrive at 4:20 and miss Marcs speech or even him getting arrested. I also feel that someone needs to pick up the rally after Marc is arrested instead of just letting the croud leave We need to utilize the fact that we have got a croud who are looking for the truth not just there to see our PRINCE get free accomidations at the Queens expense.
As I was traveling out side my court order I could not be that soilder in Regina without loseing 10,000.00 cash and my freedom until the supreme court rules sometime after november. In Dauphin we managed to keep the croud there on there toes for almost an hour after Marc talked to them via (cell to cell to bullhorn) Mcguyver sound system.
This is only the begining of a cross Canada Tour. Every stop should take something from there rally and build upon it so that every stop is a bigger snow ball then the last stop. This is our chance to educate the country on the state of our laws.

P.s. Marc said lots to me yesterday in our time together before the rally one thing that really stuck was we need to remember how this all started. The Terry Parker decision was Not for possesion cannabis it was based on the cultivation of Cannabis and the lack of a legal supply. there for it is not just the possesion of Cannabis that was struck down but all of the Cannabis laws are UNKNOWN TO LAW!
So lets keep our focus here as well!
Kidhemp

savageharvester,

There is a US Marijuana Party that is based on the BC and Canadian Marijuana Party's. I am the President and founder. Marc is also very involved in this project.
If you want to help us out then please visit http://www.usmjparty.com and see if there is a party in your state. If there isn't you might consider starting one or making a donation to our organization to further the cause of legalization in the United States.

Loretta
US Marijuana Party

thanks for the correction and info Kidhemp. I'll have the online article change to say there was 100 people at Dauphin.

And yes, in the original court decison by Justice rogin, he said that if the possession charge before him had been for cultivation or trafficking, he would have thrown that out too. Although so far only possession has been ordered off the books, in fact the whole set of marijuana laws can and should be challenged under these decisions.

Did some recon at the Halifax PD HQ today, there's a few great grassy areas that we can congregate on right in front of the station, or there's also Citadel Hill right across the street if we want to insulate ourselves a bit.

I'm going to bring some sort of a stereo system so we have some tunes going, and my girlfriend is going to make fudge and go around and give it out to people.

I'm also in the proccess of writing a press release for local media.. Marc's been to Toronto, Winnipeg and Regina.. Halifax should definitely make it a national story

I will be at the Halifax and Moncton smoke outs. People we have to get out there and give our support to Marc and his mission. I have 5 people already that are going to go with me.