cannabisnews.com: 'Pot Refugee' May Be Forced to Leave Canada





'Pot Refugee' May Be Forced to Leave Canada
Posted by CN Staff on March 06, 2003 at 09:12:06 PT
By Lynn Marshall and Eric Bailey, Staff Writers
Source: Los Angeles Times 
Vancouver, Canada -- He had to flee, or so he insists. The land where he was born and ran for political office and beat back cancer would no longer tolerate the man or his medicine. Jail awaited for drug crimes.So it was that Steve Kubby, Californian and medical marijuana patient, journeyed north to British Columbia and a new home that seemed accepting of the pot he insists he needs to stay alive.
But now Canada may withdraw its welcome.Immigration officials are pushing to deport Kubby for drug violations stemming from a 1999 bust of his medical marijuana garden in Squaw Valley, Calif. Kubby, 56 and still wrestling with adrenal cancer, countered by seeking to become a political refugee. If he is returned to America, Kubby contends, he will face persecution and death.On Wednesday, a hearing began in Vancouver to decide if this American -- one of four U.S. medical marijuana expatriates seeking to become refugees -- will be turned out by his adopted homeland.His case appears to be a longshot: Canadian immigration officials say only one U.S. citizen has ever won refugee status. But it has stoked memories in western Canada of Vietnam-era draft resisters who fled the United States decades ago. It also has caused a stir in government offices on both sides of the border.Kubby, ever pugnacious, is representing himself -- and being allowed to take regular breaks to smoke marijuana. Procedural matters took up much of Wednesday, but Kubby vowed in his opening statement to put America's drug war on trial.The U.S. government, Kubby said, is intent on undercutting Proposition 215, California's landmark 1996 medical marijuana initiative, and persecuting "anyone who attempts to show leadership on this issue."Gordon Starr, one of two government immigration attorneys opposing Kubby, expressed confidence in the checks and balances of the U.S. justice system and insisted that the medical marijuana advocate and his family would face "no threat to their lives or cruel and unusual punishment."Kubby's refugee application has outraged conservative leaders in Canada. Randy White, a member of Parliament from British Columbia, said before the hearing that a Kubby victory would create a land rush of American drug criminals. He called it "a very slippery slope" that threatens to make Canada "the marijuana sanctuary for every medically suffering pot smoker on the planet."U.S. officials also have voiced grave concerns. In recent years, more than 100 medical marijuana activists and patients -- some of them bearing the scars of the drug war -- have joined Kubby to seek asylum in Canada.John Walters, President Bush's U.S. drug policy chief, has warned Canadian officials against legalizing marijuana and going soft on Americans seeking sanctuary. Richard Meyer, a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman, said American drug expatriates are abusing the Canadian system. Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/forced.htm Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)Author:  Lynn Marshall and Eric Bailey, Times Staff WritersPublished: March 6, 2003Copyright: 2003 Los Angeles TimesContact: letters latimes.comWebsite: http://www.latimes.com/ Related Articles & Web Sites:Pot TV http://www.pot-tv.netThe Drug War Refugees http://freedomtoexhale.com/smk.htm Pot-TV - Patrick McCartney - March 5, 2003http://www.pot-tv.net/ram/pottvshowse1813.ramU.S. Pot Smoker Seeks Refugee Statushttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15653.shtmlPot Advocate Claims Conspiracy Against Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15652.shtmlPot Advocate Seeks Refugee Status in Canada http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15639.shtml
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Comment #21 posted by afterburner on March 07, 2003 at 10:17:34 PT:
Photo for Steve Kubby
Photo for Steve Kubby http://boards.marihemp.com/boards/message.shtml?2x3276x1© Harbinger Mills Publications, Toronto, Ontario, Canadaego destruction or ego transcendence, that is the question. 
Photo for Steve Kubby
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on March 06, 2003 at 19:31:42 PT
Thanks afterburner 
It's now 96% Yes and 4% No!
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Comment #19 posted by afterburner on March 06, 2003 at 18:09:11 PT:
The results since my vote:
Should the possession and growing of small amounts of marijuana be legal? 95% YES 5% NO 
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Comment #18 posted by afterburner on March 06, 2003 at 17:53:41 PT:
FoM and others: Vote on Vision TV
Vision TV poll (HTML Version): Should the possession and growing of small amounts of marijuana be legal?
http://www.visiontv.ca/HTML/index.htmlVision TV poll (Flash Version): Should the possession and growing of small amounts of marijuana be legal?
http://www.visiontv.ca/index2.htmlThe approximately 10 minute segment on 360° Vision concerning the challenge of Canada's proposed decriminalization of marijuana to faith-based groups just aired. It contains both pro and con views. I will submit a transcript as soon as I get a chance to review the segment. The remainder of the show is still videotaping. ego destruction or ego transcendence, that is the question.
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on March 06, 2003 at 12:29:00 PT
News Brief: Reverand Jonathan Adler is Free!
Probation Clarification SoughtWest Hawaii TodayPublished: March 6, 2003HILO (AP) - A Big Island marijuana advocate released from prison this week is seeking court clarification of the five years of probation he faces.One condition says Jonathan Adler cannot possess marijuana "while in custody," but Adler said he is no longer in custody and his state medical marijuana registration allows him to possess marijuana.Another condition prohibits him from being present where marijuana is used, but Adler said that would prevent him from practicing his religion with other believers of the Religion of Jesus Church, which uses marijuana as a sacrament. Adler is a pastor in the church.Circuit Judge Greg Nakamura postponed a hearing on Adler's request until April or later, when expert witnesses can be called.Adler, 50, was released Tuesday from the Hawaii Community Correctional Center after serving a six - month sentence for his guilty plea to five marijuana felonies.Adler, who says he requires marijuana for chronic pain and religious purposes, was convicted last June of possessing more than 50 marijuana plants and of possessing drug paraphernalia. The charges were filed in September 1999.At the time of his sentencing, Adler was a candidate for governor as a Natural Law Party candidate. After he was sentenced, he became ineligible to hold office.
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Comment #16 posted by FoM on March 06, 2003 at 12:21:16 PT
druid
Newshawking is fun. I was volunteer of the month in December of 99. It looks like they aren't doing it anymore. Maybe they will start it back up again. http://www.drugsense.org/dswvol.htm
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on March 06, 2003 at 12:16:45 PT
druid
I understand. A long time ago I received Map's Raw News but it was way too much to sort thru. I found it easier to search papers and find what I wanted. The Raw News requires receiving email but if I set up an account just to receive the Raw News but better yet one just for CNews that might just work. I'll check into it. Thanks for the idea!
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Comment #14 posted by druid on March 06, 2003 at 12:11:13 PT
FoM
Yea. The adress you send it to is editor mapinc.org but I believe it is all automated ask Richard Lake about it. You can check out the queue of submissions at http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/latest.htm 
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on March 06, 2003 at 12:07:38 PT
druid
I'm not sure I know what you are talking about. When I send an article to Mapinc I send it to editor mapinc.org. That's what I've always used. Do you have a link?
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on March 06, 2003 at 12:04:59 PT
Virgil
I know the news just stopped. I guess war news is occupying time for writers. I'll keep looking and I'm hoping Change The Climate gets a few articles but nothing so far. Every time the war drums start beating our news slows up. Stock Market goes way down too. That doesn't worry me though but lack of Cannabis News does.
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Comment #11 posted by druid on March 06, 2003 at 12:02:59 PT
FoM
Maybe your (and all of our) friends over at mapinc could set something up for you here at CNews like they have at mapinc for news hawking. I mean their system is great. Just make sure you post the proper headers in the subject of the message and send away. You can immediately see your submission on the Queue page. Would or could something like that work for us here?
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Comment #10 posted by Virgil on March 06, 2003 at 12:00:21 PT
Kubby is the only cannabis news in the world
200 countries and 6 billion people and if it were not for Steve Kubby having the only two articles of the day, there would be no CannabisNews today. Did someone figure a way to cement the house of cards while I slept?I wonder how Steve Kubby feels when he wakes up in the morning and if he has a big fat one on top of his alarm clock. If it would not jeopardize his life, it would be a powerful show it he abstained in the morning for the judges to see the change with the doctors monitoring him and relaying vital signs.It is more of a miracle plant than imaginable to most. Awesomely amazing I would say. And to think you could grow it for free.
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on March 06, 2003 at 11:36:17 PT
i420
I wanted to try to answer you about email. I don't know how to have an email account and not get swamped. It was very hard to handle. People would complain or ask where can I buy this or that. Most emails I couldn't answer and they were a real mental stress for me. The chat could work for general questions if I got there and used it. Would that work? 
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Comment #8 posted by i420 on March 06, 2003 at 11:26:29 PT
Okay smokies..okay dokey 
Oh i was the one who missed it however these articles are dated seperatly and are slightly different by only a few words. Maybe the new version deseves posted too???  btw is ur email workin??
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Comment #7 posted by i420 on March 06, 2003 at 11:19:02 PT
# $$scroft!!!
I would comment but by animosity will not let me say anything without profanities so asscroft figure it out.
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on March 06, 2003 at 11:17:55 PT
Hi i420 and Everyone
The article you posted is really good and being published in many papers. I just didn't want you to think I missed posting it. http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15596.shtml
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Comment #5 posted by i420 on March 06, 2003 at 11:14:29 PT
Oh ya..drug warlord... lol
Fight Bombs, Not Bongs
Misuse of resources.
 
 Last Monday, with America tensely poised at Orange Alert against new terrorist attacks, vigilant, machine-gun-toting National Guardsmen were becoming common in New York's subway stations. So, Attorney General John Ashcroft targeted a fearsome threat: marijuana pipes.  
 
 
 
 
 
    
  
  
 
Operation Pipe Dreams and Operation Headhunter encompassed raids on drug paraphernalia manufacturers, distributors, and their homes. At least 60 people have been arrested for supplying pipes, bongs, and roach clips. They face up to three years in prison and/or $250,000 fines. "This illegal billion-dollar industry will no longer be ignored by law enforcement," Ashcroft roared on February 24.And his muscle matched his volume. On the very day that New York state officials announced that they would dispatch 113 vans to detect and combat chemical and biological weapons, Washington arranged a massive attack on this harrowing menace."Including federal, state and local officials, our estimate is about 1,200 were involved, just on that day," Drug Enforcement Agency spokesman Will Glaspy says by phone. Among them, "easily hundreds" of U.S. agents were deployed "about 103 U.S. Marshals alone," Justice spokesman Drew Wade adds. "It was just exhaustive." The Feds responsible include prosecutors in eleven U.S. attorneys' offices from southern California to western Pennsylvania. Rather than guard America's docks and porous borders from the next Mohamed Atta, Customs and Immigration and Naturalization Service personnel joined the anti-pipe posse.This federal overreach featured an unhealthy dose of rhetorical overkill. "People selling drug paraphernalia," said acting DEA chief John Brown, "are as much a part of drug trafficking as silencers are a part of criminal homicide." Yes, and wineglass makers cause drunk-driving deaths.This is futile and foolish."There is no evidence that these laws have any impact on reducing drug use whatsoever," said Drug Policy Alliance founder Ethan Nadelmann. Household products, such as empty toilet paper rolls and foil, can serve as crude marijuana pipes. Unless Aschroft eradicates Charmin and Reynolds Wrap, people who choose to smoke marijuana will do so. Also, they simply could visit tobacconists and buy pipes like the one Sherlock Holmes puffed, perhaps inspiring intense laugh attacks.Drug warriors must recognize that some eleven million American adults enjoy getting high at least annually — to relax and endure these nerve-wracking times. Some brave this endless winter, the drooping Dow, the Columbia disaster, the Rhode Island nightclub inferno, and growing war jitters by sipping martinis. Others play Lotto or visit Vegas. Still more sleep around. In excess, these behaviors can ruin one's health, fortunes, or both. Yet only smoking grass yields jail time. This is silly, illogical, and wicked.Adults who use drug paraphernalia while handling automobiles or wrecking balls deserve punishment. Minors should steer clear of the stuff until adulthood. That aside, mood enhancement should be none of government's business.While this was true before the late, great Twin Towers collapsed, it is doubly so today. Federal law enforcers should be single-minded if not obsessive about foiling "3/11," "4/11" or whatever we may have to dub the next 9/11.FBI Director Robert Mueller said February 11 that "several hundred" al Qaeda-linked terrorists may be here today. Perhaps they now cherish U.S. liberties, abundance, and amusements. If they indeed embrace the American way, welcome. More likely, though, they strive to turn crop dusters into anthrax dispensers, or water supplies into streams of cyanide — as Italian officials allege a suspected al Qaeda cell planned for Rome last year.British authorities arrested six Algerians in London who, they believe, possessed ricin, a toxin that kills via respiratory arrest or vascular collapse. It may be here in the hands of people who want us dead.Neither Americans who smoke grass nor their roach-clip salesmen seek to kill anyone. They would sob if the Sears Tower were awash in flames. Their backpacks likelier contain bluegrass CDs than plastic explosives.Those who light pot pipes are not our enemies. They are our colleagues, neighbors, friends, and loved ones. In short, they are Americans who should be protected rather than persecuted by federal busybodies who desperately need to focus on first things. John Ashcroft, John Brown, and this country's other drug warlords should ask themselves what would be worse for America's citizens: more bong hits or more body parts.
http://www.nationalreview.com/murdock/murdock.asp
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Comment #4 posted by JoeCitizen on March 06, 2003 at 10:41:16 PT:
I think you mean Peter, not Steve
It was Peter McWilliams who died from aspirated vomit (well, really from the Tender Lovin' Mercies of the Federal Goons who took away his medicine).Steve McWilliams is alive and recently cut a plea bargain with the Feds to stay out of prison.JC
Peter McWilliams Home Page
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Comment #3 posted by Sam Adams on March 06, 2003 at 10:18:06 PT
Get a clue
Gordon Starr, one of two government immigration attorneys opposing Kubby, expressed confidence in the checks and balances of the U.S. justice system and insisted that the medical marijuana advocate and his family would face "no threat to their lives or cruel and unusual punishment."Checks and Balances? Was that working for Steve McWilliams when he lurched into his bathroom, choking on vomit for the final time? Or for Todd McMormick, who has so many health problems he can barely walk, being denied early release for taking Marinol in prison?  Or for the polio-stricken lady handcuffed to her bed?  I think our "checking" account is bankrupt!
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Comment #2 posted by Virgil on March 06, 2003 at 09:50:27 PT
I missed this on CNN
CNN covers all the news 168 hours a week. I know they do not like to repeat stories as they have to cover a big world and this story probably flew by me and is not up on their website yet.I wish CNN would repeat some of this important stuff that the print media ignores. How else will people without TiVo catch all the news flying by.I now have 6 $4.20 oil purchases for 2003. And you?
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Comment #1 posted by WolfgangWylde on March 06, 2003 at 09:28:26 PT
Posted this before...
...but in case anyone missed it. Its Richard Cowan's analysis of the Kubby case. The LA Times is ignoring many aspects of this case that are favorable to Kubby.
Kubby Refugee Hearings Begin
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