Today was Day One of the courthouse vigil in support of Marc Emery.

I had a lot of support and assistance from Kerry at B.O.B. HEADquarters in Saskatoon. They have been very helpful and supportive, and they have a great store with lots of cool pot-products for sale.

We had about 15 people in front of the courthouse today. Together we handed out over 700 fliers with information about Marc Emery's sentence. We also spread out to the nearby mall and park to hand out the flyers.

I did interviews with CBC radio, CBC TV, Global TV, Sask Star-Phoenix, and another radio station. They were good interviews, although I got asked dumb questions like "are you high right now" and "do you have pot on you?" along with questions about Marc.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) our banner should arrive, and we'll have a new leaflet by the end of the week. By next week we'll also have the FREE EMERY postcards which will then be shipped all across Canada.

David Malmo-Levine is here now too, and we'll both be here for the rest of the week. I will be coming back again in a couple of weeks.

I encourage anyone who can afford the time and expense to come to Saskatoon in the next 2-3 weeks to help with our vigil and spread the word.

I have been here only two days and have met with many people who want to be involved, be active and get organized. I hope that the influx of activists into Saskatoon will result in there being a more confident, more organized, more energized pot culture here by the time Emery is released.

I have been able to give flyers to other stores to hand out as well. Vinyl Exchnage took a batch, as did a bookshop called Turning the Tides. BOB HEADquarters has also been handing out flyers and getting people down to the vigil.

I think that we will work towards a bigger rally in Vimy Park, where Emery was busted, which will happen in about 3 weeks. This gives us time to prepare and promote such an event. I will post more details about this planned rally as they become available.

That's all the news for now.

BOB HEADquarters can be reached at 306-477-4262.

Thank you Dana, for being there and keeping us updated.
And thank you to all the Saskatoon people who will help to protest Our Prince's imprisonment.

I'm so glad your there Dana. Both you and Levine are the very best at activism that actually causes change.

We need to make it perfectly clear that this abuse we suffer at the hands of our own government is simply no longer acceptable.

The biggest terrorist threat I see today in Canada are the police and courtrooms that perpetuate this atrocity of cannabis prohibition. It needs to end.

The forces of change are with you Dana, give em hell

Tue. Aug. 24 2004

Activists protest 90-day joint passing sentence

Canadian Press

SASKATOON — Pro-pot activists are staging protests and writing letters after well-known marijuana supporter Marc Emery was sentenced to three months in jail for passing a single joint.

Emery's supporters gathered at Saskatoon's provincial court building Tuesday to protest the jail sentence, which came last week after Emery pleaded guilty to trafficking.

"We'll be here every day until Marc Emery is released," said protest co-ordinator Dana Larsen of Vancouver, editor of Emery's Cannabis Culture magazine.

"I don't think this will succeed in getting Marc out early, but I think it will draw attention. Our goal really is to stop this from happening to anybody else."

Emery, president of the B.C. Marijuana Party, was charged with trafficking after he passed a joint while speaking at a political rally at the University of Saskatchewan earlier this year.

While it was Emery's eleventh drug-related conviction, it was the first time he has been sentenced to jail.

The B.C. Marijuana Party has also begun a letter-writing campaign to federal Justice Minister Irwin Cotler. In July, Prime Minister Paul Martin promised to reintroduce legislation to decriminalize possession of 15 grams of pot or less.

"The sentence, viewed by many as extreme, has evoked outrage in the marijuana community," said the party in a release.

"Mr. Emery has the dubious distinction of being the first person in Canada to be charged and convicted of trafficking for passing a joint."

Larsen said he wants to prevent others from being jailed for simply passing a joint.

"I think most Canadians would think that's pretty extreme . . . and would look upon Saskatoon as a backward place because of that, like the Alabama of Canada," he said.

"I don't think anyone else has ever been convicted of trafficking this quantity before."

Seven people joined Larsen on Tuesday. They carried a pot-leaf version of the Canadian flag and handed out flyers entitled Free Marc Emery.

Jay Crowter said he plans to be at the courthouse as often as possible until Emery's release.

"It kind of scares me (that) a guy can go to jail for something so simple as passing a (marijuana) cigarette," he said.

Emery's lawyer, Leanne Johnson, said her client won't appeal the sentence, but could be released early for good behaviour.

"He'll probably only serve one-third of his sentence," she said.

CTV

fantastic....keep up the good work....

Excellent. Now we just need these things much bigger, and on the front pages!

August 25, 2004

Protesters fear sentence precedent

Dan Kinvig
The (Saskatoon) StarPhoenix

A handful of supporters of marijuana activist Marc Emery began an ongoing vigil at the Saskatoon provincial court Tuesday, denouncing the so-call Prince of Pot's three-month jail sentence as a "debacle of justice."

"We'll be here every day until Marc Emery is released," said protest co-ordinator Dana Larsen, editor of Cannabis Culture magazine, which was funded by Emery.

"I don't think this will succeed in getting Marc out early, but I think it will draw attention. Our goal really is to stop this from happening to anybody else."

Emery, a Vancouver-based marijuana seed dealer and founder of the B.C. Marijuana Party, was sentenced in provincial court last week after pleading guilty to one count of trafficking.

He had been arrested at the Vimy bandshell on March 22 following a pro-pot speech at the University of Saskatchewan. A witness saw Emery pass one joint to another person, but said no money changed hands. When searched by police, Emery produced four marijuana cigarettes containing a total of 2.3 grams.

Judge Albert Lavoie took Emery's 10 prior drug-related convictions into account, but Larsen said three months is still an unreasonably stiff sentence for passing one joint.

"I think most Canadians would think that's pretty extreme . . . and would look upon Saskatoon as a backward place because of that, like the Alabama of Canada," he said.

"I don't think anyone else has ever been convicted of trafficking this quantity before.

"(A three-month sentence) really could happen again to anybody else, and this could set a precedent."

Seven local Emery backers joined Larsen on Tuesday carrying a marijuana-leaf version of the Canadian flag and handing out flyers entitled Free Marc Emery.

"Me and Marc Emery are friends. I basically just came out to support him," said Kerry Kunka, owner of B.O.B. Headquarters, which sells hemp products. "He got arrested for what he was about."

Jay Crowter said he plans to be at the courthouse as often as possible until Emery's release.

"It kind of scares me (that) a guy can go to jail for something so simple as passing a (marijuana) cigarette," he said.

In July, Prime Minister Paul Martin promised to reintroduce legislation to decriminalize possession of 15 grams of pot or less. Larsen is urging pot advocates to write to Justice Minister Irwin Cotler to encourage him to add a section to the bill making it legal to pass small quantities to another person without financial compensation.

Larsen and other activists from across the country are taking turns flying to Saskatoon to organize the protest.

Contact: spnews@SP.canwest.com

saskatoon/starphoenix

Are we winning or losing?

hey puff

thanks again and again and again for posting *ALL* those articles...i get most of my news from this site and most of that is from your posts...i sent letters to ctv and the saskatoon newspaper this morning...it only takes a minute to write a letter but it can reach far beyond our tiny corner of the internet

Here's the newest interview with Chris Bennett. Dana gives updates on the Vigil, Marc tells us more about what to do.

http://www.pot-tv.net/archive/shows/pottvshowse-2921.html