What ever happened to Marc Emery???
Article appearing :www.straight.com under the heading:Upbeat Emery on way to jail.I was going to quote from the article but you might as well just look it up for yourself.Emery is still Emery and read
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Canada: Mandatory Minimum Bill for Pot Growing Dies Sudden Death When Prime Minister Shuts Down Parliament
In a political maneuver designed to shield his embattled Conservative government from criticism during the upcoming Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper Wednesday "prorogued," or shut down, parliament until a new session begins in March. The move kills all pending legislation, including a Tory "tough on crime" bill, C-15, that included mandatory minimum nine-month prison sentences for growing as much as a single marijuana plant.
Prorouging parliament is not a routine move, but this is the second time Harper has done it in a year. Last December, he did it to head off a looming vote of no-confidence, with a coalition of New Democrats, Liberals, and Bloc Quebecois looking to replace his Conservative government. Now, he says he is doing it to introduce a new budget, but the maneuver also kills all parliamentary committees, including one looking into allegations Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan turned detainees over to Afghan authorities who abused them. That inquiry has raised embarrassing questions about Canada's policies in Afghanistan.
To the relief of drug reform advocates and Canada's cannabis culture, the move kills a bill that was very harsh and very near to passage. Under the provisions of C-15 as passed by the House, people growing between one and 200 marijuana plants faced a minimum of six months if the "offense is committed for the purpose of trafficking." That would rise to nine months if it were a rental property, if children were endangered, or if the grow presented a public safety threat, i.e. was stealing electricity.
The bill mandated a one-year minimum for between 201 and 500 plants or for producing hashish and two years for more than 500 plants. It also had one-year minimums for importing or exporting marijuana and for trafficking more than three kilograms if it was for the benefit of "organized crime," there was threat or use of violence or weapons, or if the offender had a serious previous drug offense. The trafficking minimum jumped to two years if it occurred in a prison, if the trafficking was to a minor, or if it was "in or near a school, in or near an area normally frequented by youth or in the presence of youth."
The bill had been amended earlier this month by the Senate Constitutional Affairs and Legal Committee to remove the mandatory minimum provisions for under 201 plants, but only if the grows were not in residential areas and owned by the grower. That meant anyone growing in a residential neighborhood or in a rental property still faced a nine-month minimum, limiting relief to rural home-owners.
The bill awaited only a final vote in the Senate. Now, Harper has sacrificed it on the altar of his political calculations.
But like a vampire, C-15 is likely to rise from the grave. It has been a central plank in Harper's appeals to his law-and-order constituencies, and his government is almost certain to reintroduce it when the new session begins in March, or after he calls snap elections, which the Conservatives seem well-positioned to win as their main rivals, the Liberals, flounder.
Don't put away those wooden stakes just yet.
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Romantic Comedy "It's Complicated" Gets R Rating for Depicting Casual Marijuana Use
I try really hard to avoid name-calling on this blog, but the morons at MPAA just broke my streak:
So what do they want to see? Meryl Streep's hair catching fire? Steve Martin choking on a taco? Maybe the reason nothing bad happened to the pot-smoking characters in the movie is because bad things almost never happen to people who smoke pot (except getting arrested or otherwise stigmatized by self-righteous nutjobs like the MPAA).
Seriously, you can show these people 90 minutes of machine-gun fire and they'll give you a PG-13 any day of the week as long as the people killing each other don't get naked or use excessively foul language. Fortunately, MPAA's panic at the site of a little recreational marijuana use is so wildly out of proportion that it's generating an incredulous response from the press. Indeed, the story wouldnât even be in the news if it weren't widely regarded as transparently stupid and crazy.
I think 2009 will likely go down as the year when it finally became impossible to vilify casual marijuana use without getting laughed at by almost everyone.
When it comes to the MPAA, Universal is finding that things aren't simple.
The group's Classification and Ratings Appeals Board on Wednesday denied the studio's appeal of an R rating for its new Nancy Meyers romantic comedy "It's Complicated," throwing a potential marketing hurdle in the film's path.
The MPAA's ruling cited "some drug content and sexuality" for the film about a love triangle among upper-middle-class suburbanites. Those familiar with the board hearing said the inclusion of a scene featuring "pot-smoking with no bad consequences" was key to the decision. [LA Times]
So what do they want to see? Meryl Streep's hair catching fire? Steve Martin choking on a taco? Maybe the reason nothing bad happened to the pot-smoking characters in the movie is because bad things almost never happen to people who smoke pot (except getting arrested or otherwise stigmatized by self-righteous nutjobs like the MPAA).
Seriously, you can show these people 90 minutes of machine-gun fire and they'll give you a PG-13 any day of the week as long as the people killing each other don't get naked or use excessively foul language. Fortunately, MPAA's panic at the site of a little recreational marijuana use is so wildly out of proportion that it's generating an incredulous response from the press. Indeed, the story wouldnât even be in the news if it weren't widely regarded as transparently stupid and crazy.
I think 2009 will likely go down as the year when it finally became impossible to vilify casual marijuana use without getting laughed at by almost everyone.
In The Trenches
There's still time, but please act now
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In The Trenches
VCL Brief - Winter 2010
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In The Trenches
Help Change the World While Helping Yourself
Help Change the World While Helping Yourself |
You know that the "War on Drugs" is wrong, counterproductive, immoral, stupid, expensive, and cruel. Perhaps you realize that changing the policies toward this one issue has the potential to: change the world; heal the sick; stop ruining lives and families; balance budgets; and so much more... |
YOU hold the power of change in your hand. It involves just few clicks of your mouse. Please donate to DrugSense right now. http://www.drugsense.org/donate. By donating, you are taking a stand in support compassionate, common sense, and cost effective policies. And while you're supporting polices that help change the world, you are also helping yourself. As a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit, your donation to DrugSense is tax-deductible, something you'll appreciate at tax time. Donating is also simple and secure. Just visit http://www.drugsense.org/donate You can also donate by check made payable to:
Or you can donate toll free by calling 1-800-266-5759. REMEMBER: You can select a monthly plan to provide us with automatic, recurring support. Please sign up for whatever you can afford. http://www.drugsense.org/donate LOW INCOME? You don't need cash to change the world. Volunteer! Please visit our volunteer signup form, http://www.mapinc.org/volunteers/ and we'll help you find something to fit your schedule and interests. Fund the change you want to see in the world - donate to DrugSense today!
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The Year on Drugs 2009: International Drug Policy Developments
The war in Afghanistan, the rising tide of drug reform in Latin America, and battles over drug policies in European countries are among the dominant international drug policy stories of 2009. (Reprinted from last week's issue to accompany this week's top ten domestic drug policy stories feature.)
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Feedback: Do You Read Drug War Chronicle?
Do you read Drug War Chronicle? If so, we need your feedback to evaluate our work and make the case for Drug War Chronicle to funders. We need donations too.
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Students: Intern at StoptheDrugWar.org (DRCNet) and Help Stop the Drug War!
Apply for an internship at DRCNet and you could spend a semester fighting the good fight!
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Heroin Maintenance: SALOME Trials Set to Begin in Vancouver
Move over NAOMI, here comes SALOME. Just in time for the Winter Olympics, a new heroin maintenance trial is set to get underway early next year in Vancouver.
Chronicle
Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories
It's a Texas trifecta for Christmas, plus an Alabama jail guard.
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Latin America: Mexico Drug War Update
The Mexican military killed a major drug lord last week, but that doesn't seem to have changed anything. The violence continues...
Chronicle
Latin America: Bolivia's Morales Says He Will Legalize Small Coca Holdings
Bolivian President Evo Morales wants to amend his country's drug law to legalize coca farmers' small holdings and to bring allowed national cultivation limits in line with Bolivian reality. This won't go over well in Washington or with the UN anti-drug bureaucrats.
Chronicle
Hemp: North Dakota Farmers Lose Appeal in 8th US Circuit
North Dakota farmers want to grow hemp. North Dakota has licensed them to grow hemp. But are they growing any hemp? No, and a new court decision means its likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future.
Chronicle
Medical Marijuana: Rhode Island Releases Draft of Proposed Dispensary Rules
Rhode Island approved adding a dispensary system to its medical marijuana program this spring, and now the state Department of Health has promulgated proposed rules to regulate it. But even if all goes well -- and non-controversially -- it could be another year before a dispensary actually starts dispensing.
Chronicle
The Year on Drugs 2009: The Top Ten US Domestic Drug Policy Stories
What a year! A lot happened in 2009 when it comes to drug policy, much of it good. Last issue we reviewed the international developments. This last week of the year, we take a look at what we see as the ten most important domestic drug policy stories the year brought us.
Chronicle
Afghanistan: US Anti-Drug Strategy Lacking, State Department Report Finds
The State Department's "drugs and thugs" people in charge of Afghan counternarcotics policy aren't doing a very good job, an Inspector General's report has found. Of course, it's tough when you're tasked with Mission Impossible.