cannabisnews.com: Canada's Rebagliati Gets Waiver for Games





Canada's Rebagliati Gets Waiver for Games
Posted by FoM on February 09, 2002 at 12:48:04 PT
By Petti Fong, The Ottawa Citizen 
Source: Ottawa Citizen
Canada's gold medal snowboarder Ross Rebagliati, denied access to the U.S. for his positive marijuana test, is going to Salt Lake City after all. Mr. Rebagliati was given a four-month waiver to enter the U.S. after he went to a border crossing in Surrey, B.C., yesterday morning with his lawyer. Mr. Rebagliati, who has regularly travelled to the U.S. since the 1998 marijuana test, needed the waiver -- complete with a doctor's note guaranteeing that he has been drug-free for the past 30 days -- in order to cross the border.
Yesterday Mr. Rebagliati said was going to the opening ceremony."I've been told I'll be sitting next to Wayne Gretzky. It's a huge thing for me. Just a couple of days ago I didn't think I'd get the chance to go at all."Mr. Rebagliati, who won the gold medal when snowboarding debuted as an Olympic event at Nagano, Japan, in 1998, had his medal taken away after a drug test detected a trace amount of cannabis. It was restored after Mr. Rebagliati convinced the Olympic committee the marijuana was in his system because of second-hand smoke at a party he attended.Two weeks ago, Mr. Rebagliati was turned away by U.S. Customs at Vancouver International Airport after a customs officer found his name flagged in the customs computer system because of his prior admission that he had used marijuana. "When I went through this morning with the lawyer, I didn't have any problems," Mr. Rebagliati said in a phone interview from Seattle before his flight to Salt Lake City. "We explained what happened and the customs officer gave me a four-month waiver to come and go."Roots Canada, his former corporate sponsor, paid for his airplane ticket and provided him with tickets for the opening ceremony, he said. Roots western sales and marketing manager Rich Patterson said the company wanted to send Mr. Rebagliati to the Olympics.Note: Gold medallist who admitted drug use given 4-month pass to travel to U.S. Newshawk: puff_tuffSource: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)Author: Petti Fong, The Ottawa Citizen Published: Saturday, February 09, 2002Copyright: 2002 The Ottawa CitizenContact: letters thecitizen.southam.caWebsite: http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/Related Articles:Snowboarder Sees Hopes Go Up in Smoke http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11911.shtmlRebagliati Says US Won't Let Him Go To Olympicshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11904.shtmlDude!!!! No Marijuana for The Snowboarders http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11874.shtml 
END SNIP -->
Snipped
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #3 posted by Jose Melendez on February 09, 2002 at 15:18:40 PT:
how drug war fuels crime
"By putting a ban on poppy cultivation, the Taliban killed two birds with one stone," Ahmadullah Alizai, director of the Kandahar Drug Control and Coordination Unit says at his office, which lost its fleet of poppy-surveying trucks to Taliban looting. "They increased the market price [by creating a shortage,] which earned them millions of dollars, and they were also able to receive international aid in the process." from: 
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n215/a11.html?397
Arrest Prohibition - Drug War is TREASON
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by Jose Melendez on February 09, 2002 at 13:32:25 PT:
Mr. President: please choose drug peace
Dear President Bush,Please take advantage of this moment in history. You, who wore a roots jacket the other day surrounded by atheletes could make the vital difference for millions of peaceful Americans who regularly, even religiously use marijuana; by pointing out that cannabis prohibition is ludicrous.
Point out that for too long, ONDCP has demonized this benificent herb that is at once food, fiber, fuel and pharmaceuticals. The same beaurocracy strenuously resisted mentioning alcohol in anti-drug ads until it was conveniently prohibited for them to do so - by Congress.Remind US that not so long ago, Alcohol Prohibition increased illicit profits, drained public resources and devastated lives. Today, the DEA's current position is formally against legal American hemp farming, even against the importation of hemp foods containing miniscule amounts of THC. 
Yet partially hydrogenated oils are in almost every foodstuff on American shelves. Those items are packaged and sold by corporations that still maintain huge financial ties to the same tobacco companies that lied for so many years about the safety and efficacy of poisonous yet legal cigarettes.
I do not understand how anyone can justify funding cannabis prohibition, when our own country paid well over 40 million dollars to prohibit opium in Afghanistan, which we now know increased any drug profits to at least last year's terrorists. 
You, Mr. President could take the bold but morally and financially responsible step of removing these artificial and inhumane costs to American and global society. All by pointing out that Mr. Rebagliatti is a winner who used marijuana, and that the war on drugs has always served against all of our interests.
As a citizen of this country I implore you: Please declare drug peace.Note: Xanax is listed as a schedule IV substance. Marijuana is safer than schedule V codeine, yet in my home state of Florida, cannabis roots are illegal."Air" Jose Melendez
Narcosoft.com
Arrest Prohibition 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by p4me on February 09, 2002 at 13:21:12 PT
let the games continue
Getting a doctor's excuse to enter the country. It looks like the country is being run by a bunch of school administrators. We are going to spend more protecting the Canadian border than Canada is going to spend on military spending this next year. Didn't they make him get a note from his mommy?Oh that marijuana is bad stuff alright? Look how stupid it makes the politicians.For those of you who can. please vote against all incumbents. For those that are more discretionary and want to vote only against prohibitionist, I say thanks and when in doubt,vote them out.
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment