cannabisnews.com: Petaluma Pot Grower Seeks Asylum in Canada 





Petaluma Pot Grower Seeks Asylum in Canada 
Posted by CN Staff on July 06, 2002 at 18:15:39 PT
By Jeremy Hay, The Press Democrat
Source: Press Democrat
A Petaluma man wanted by federal authorities on marijuana trafficking and money laundering charges has applied for political asylum in Canada.Kenneth E. Hayes, who successfully fought Sonoma County pot charges last year, would face persecution for his political opinions should he be forced to return to America, his Canadian attorney said. Hayes, 34, was arrested in April in Vancouver, British Columbia, for alleged immigration violations. 
His attorney, Alex Stojicevic, said U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents were present when Hayes was arrested and asked to interview him, but Hayes refused.Hayes fled to Canada in January, shortly before DEA agents seized 200 pot plants from his northwest Petaluma ranch.The DEA operation included raids on a San Francisco marijuana buyers club that DEA agents said was a front for "large-scale" drug dealing. Hayes supporters say the club -- which continues to operate -- supplied pot under Califor-nia's medical marijuana law.Stojicevic said Hayes sought asylum "because he's being persecuted for his actions and singled out."Canadian immigration authorities will hold hearings in the next six to 12 months to determine whether Hayes is a political refugee under the guidelines of the U.N. convention on refugees, Stojicevic said.The charges against Hayes carry possible sentences of 20 years to life in prison.Stojicevic represents two other California men who face U.S. charges and have applied for political refugee status.Steve Kubby, the 1998 Libertarian gubernatorial candidate, and former Humboldt County medical marijuana activist Steve Tuck also applied, Stojicevic said."They have a well-grounded fear of persecution," he said.All three men claim to need marijuana for medical purposes. Hayes and Tuck said they also grow pot for use by other medical users.Kubby, 56, was convicted of misdemeanor possession of peyote and acquitted of marijuana charges in Placer County two years ago. He faces a four-month sentence but says he would die without access to marijuana.The state Justice Department is trying to upgrade his conviction to a felony.Tuck, 36, faces six felony marijuana trafficking charges in Humboldt County, where authorities rejected a medical claim he had successfully used in a separate, earlier case.Hayes and Kubby also face lesser charges of pot cultivation in Canada that are awaiting outcomes in British Columbia courts.Source: Press Democrat, The (CA)Author: Jeremy Hay, The Press DemocratPublished: July 6, 2002Copyright: 2002 The Press DemocratContact: letters pressdemo.comWebsite: http://www.pressdemo.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Pot-TVhttp://www.pot-tv.net/Canada Arrests Third Pot Activist http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12604.shtmlCalifornia Men Face Hearing in Canada http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12562.shtmlEx-Petaluman Says He's an Attractive Target http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12172.shtml Indicted Rosenthal, Hayes, Watt, and Halloran http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12133.shtml
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Comment #4 posted by JHarshaw on July 07, 2002 at 04:16:50 PT
depression
It's become such a dirty, little world.
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Comment #3 posted by Lehder on July 06, 2002 at 19:58:32 PT
see if you qualify as a Canadian landed immigrant
http://www.akcanada.com/------
Otto Reich now officially serves as assistant secretary of state for western hemisphere affairs. With Bush's help he managed to obtain that job without the ususal required senate questioning and confirmation.
Despite this record, the current Bush administration nominated him for Assistant Secretary
of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs. Reich was appointed to this position during a
Congressional recess period, a strategic attempt by the Bush Administration to avoid
obvious criticism from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (his name was sent back
twice by the Committee, asking for another nomination). In his current capacity as Assistant
Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Reich admittedly advised Pedro
Carmona—the businessman who seized the presidency—during the failed coup in
Venezuela last month, and had met with other leaders of the coup in recent months (some
of whom were trained at the SOA). 
http://www.soaw.org/reich.htm
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Comment #2 posted by p4me on July 06, 2002 at 19:50:39 PT
Saturday night thoughts
It all seems so senseless and a waste of money when money means life and death to many. I try to keep up with the budget crisis in California because it is going to be interesting to see how they handle a $25 billion shortfall. I just do not see how Grey Davis even could contemplate a run for president. I listened to a recent speech of Ralph Nader sponsored by democracynow.org and I found it at http://www.webactive.com/.
He talked about poverty and another HUD definition of near poverty and that 40% of the great state of California is poor. He talked of how 45 million Americans have no health insurance and how wages in this country have fallen from the highest in the world to 14th. I mean we have real problems that have to be dealt with without artificially creating them for the benefit of the prison and law and judicial industry. Nader talked of how solitary confinement in a for profit prison was 6 times that of public prisons because it meant more money. It is just so senseless and we have to stop the insanity and get on to better world.Ralph Nader had that one speech from Conn. and there is another one about the corporate scandals at the bottom that I have yet to listen too at http://www.webactive.com/. One thing we have to do is have access to communications media and I thing http://www.democracynow.org/ is worthy of a bookmark. They have some audio from Greg Palast and Noam Chomsky that I hope to listen to tomorrow and they have this proclamation on their website- "A national, listener-sponsored public radio and TV show, pioneering the largest community media collaboration in the country."So now I think of Swampie that always says "Onward through the fog." Only I say "Onward through the polluted air." 1- I call bullshit. Vote against all incumbents. Piss on Washington.
2- What is the value of a thrifty meal? What is more valuable than your best health? Where is my gruel?
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Comment #1 posted by ekim on July 06, 2002 at 19:17:21 PT
its who you know 
Ever wonder what happened to those involved in Ollie North's "stand alone, 
self-funding, self-directing organization" operating out of the basement of 
the White House?John Poindexter, convicted of five felonies for obstructing justice, 
destroying evidence and lying to Congress (convictions overturned on a 
technicality) works for the Pentagon devising surveillance for homeland 
defense.Elliott Abrams, convicted of withholding information from Congress 
(pardoned by President George Bush), was hired by President George W. Bush 
last year as special White House assistant for democracy and human rights.Otto Reich, accused of running an illegal covert domestic propaganda effort 
against Nicaragua's government, was recently nominated for assistant 
secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs.
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