cannabisnews.com: High Time Pipe Dream Came True: Dave





High Time Pipe Dream Came True: Dave
Posted by CN Staff on April 30, 2003 at 08:24:23 PT
By Rick Bell, Calgary Sun
Source: Calgary Sun
Decriminalize pot, the PM pronounces. Sweet. Well, not exactly sweet. In fact, not near sweet. More like a half-step on the road to sweet. "At least people won't be getting criminal records, they won't be locking up our sons and daughters for a plant no different than the Alberta Wild Rose," decides a determined Dave, watching our fearless federal fool on the tube.
"This shows our party is the one showing leadership. I wouldn't be surprised if the government is going to the websites of the marijuana parties for ideas." Better than where they usually go. Yep, you've got to hand it to our Dave and those like him. They have fought fearlessly for pot, grass, weed, dope and bud, for the right to the enjoyment of the elevating experience of a blunt, a spliff, a doobie, a gagger, a fatty, a toke and a retro reefer, once the reputed source of so much madness. They have lived and loved in a world where their wonder plant dare not speak its name except in jive and jargon. They now await their vindication. Slowly, there is a faint smell of victory in the air. Present polls show most Canadians want some liberalizing of the law. The feds are making a move to the middle, though not one toke over the line. Those on the pot pilgrimage harbour no illusions. Their cannabis crusade is far from over. Our Dave is the interim leader of the Marijuana Party of Alberta. Dave is only the interim leader because right now the party is not legal yet. It's still gathering signatures to register as the official provincial party for pot parity. Once they get enough names on the dotted line, or wavy line for that matter, the party will hold a party, a gabfest for grass. They will elect a leader and field candidates in all 83 Alberta ridings. The pot poobah says he's already talking to his cannabis comrades at the federal level, in B.C. and in Quebec. "They're the Bloc Pot," he says. In Dave's design, a cannabis Canada would be quite the place. "It would only help. It's the most nutritious seed, you can make durable clothes and fuel that's less polluting than gas. As many as 20,000 products, even paper." That should make the bureaucrats happy. "There would even be savings on law enforcement. No more barbaric warfare on citizens." No, Dave will not rest. His party wants to licence pot like booze. Dave says a toke is no different than a glass of wine or two or three after work. Partaking of pot, sampling a spliff, does not lead to a lost life shooting up in some stereotyped sleazeball scene. For Dave, only the wickedness of the war on drugs turns the happiest of herbs into a dastardly and despicable drug. His solution sounds so Canadian in its organization. In Dave's design, growers would sell to a government Marijuana Control Board who, in turn, sell to licensed vendors and cannabis cafes. Marijuana would be taxed, regulated and even inspected by the government to ensure the highest quality. Get it? Highest quality. Farmers could grow a different kind of grass, says Dave, speaking like a good Alberta Tory. There's the rural vote. More economic opportunity for entrepreneurs. There's the urban. Less taxes, more freedom. Cannabis capitalism. That's Alberta. "It would be the true Alberta Advantage. Besides we need a government to represent the people of Canada, not Washington. They put pressure on us to make laws to comply with what they want," says Dave, dissing Dubya. "If our politicians truly represented us, the laws would've been changed long ago. Now they're coming around to our way of thinking." So Dave will accept the PM's half-step for what it is and no more. He has the continuing confidence of the crusader. "We are the choice of the new millennium," he says, vowing one day to perhaps replace Ralph as premier. Replace Ralph? Are you smoking something? "You never know," dreams Dave. "Stranger things have happened." Sweet. Source: Calgary Sun, The (CN AB)Author: Rick Bell, Calgary SunPublished: Wednesday, April 30, 2003 Copyright: 2003 The Calgary SunContact: callet sunpub.comWebsite: http://www.fyicalgary.com/calsun.shtmlRelated Articles & Web Sites:Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmMarijuana Party of Albertahttp://www.geocities.com/marijuana_party/Fix Marijuana Controls http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16096.shtmlMadness Prevails in Governments Approachhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16091.shtml'Born in Hysteria' - London Free Presshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16073.shtml
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Comment #1 posted by druid on April 30, 2003 at 08:33:23 PT
*off topic* Letter from Bryan Epis in Prison
Bryan wrote this for the NORML conerence but it not get to us until it
was too late. I told him I would pass it along to everyone.-Steph ShererStatement from Bryan Epis for the NORML conference.This is a message from Brayn Epis. I'd like to thank everyone here today, but unfortunately I'm in federal prison for the federal crime of "conspiracy to follow California's medical marijuana law", and "conspiracy to open a medical cannabis dispensary in the ciry of San Jose after the San Jose Planning Department gave me a set of rules to open a dispensary, and after consulting with the San Jose Police."I wrote a 17-page proposal for the city of San Jose. At trial, the prosecution was allowed to enter into evidence 2 pages of this proposal to show that I planned to eventually grow over 1000 plants according to San Jose guidelines. I wasn't allowed to enter into evidence the other 15 pages that show that I was following state and local laws. The prosecutor was allowed to slander me by saying I was only profit-motivated, when the other 15 pages showed that my true motive was to open a non-profit dispensary to help sick and dying citizens obtain medicine in a safe environment at an affordable cost. I also helped open a dispensary in Chico, and allowed 4 other patients, two of whom have since died from cancer, to grow at my house. As a result, I was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. It was a quintesential kangaroo court, just like Ed Rosenthal's trial.After I was arrested, I avoided the limelight. That was a mistake, as becuase of that, many of you don't know mw, although you've probably heard of my case.When I'm liberated, I'd like to meet everyone here today, and someday this will be a reality. In fact, it can be a reality very soon with your help.A new bill was recently introduced in the US House of Representatives by Sam Farr. My 9-year-old daughter, Ashley Epis, who was recently featured on billboards throughout California urging Compassion, Not Federal Prison for people following state medical marijuana laws, was there in Washington DC to help Sam Farr introduce this bill, along with Steph Sherer of Americans for Safe Access, Valerie Corral of the Wo/Men's Compassionate Cooperative of Santa Cruz, and Marney Craig, one of the jurors in Ed Rosenthal's tiral. My case, Ed's case, and the raid on Mike and Valerie Corral's cooperative inspired Mr. Farr to introduce this bill. If this bill is passed and signed into law, Ed Rosenthal and I will get a new trial, and this time we can't lose, because all the evidence will be presented before the jurors. Of course this will also help the scores of other medical marijuana victims of DEA terrorists get a fair trial as well. State medical marijuana laws will be respected by the federal government.I urge everyone here to please do everything in your power to get as many people as possible in the next year to write Congress. Although I believe that either my appeal, Ed's appeal, or the OCBC appeal will eventually prevail in the Supreme Court, we can't stand by and do nothing and hope this is the case. I've left fliers outside this conference that I hope you can all distribute at a minimum to all your friends and relatives and plead to them to follow through and write their Congressional representatives. Please help me, Ed Rosenthal, Lynn and Judy Osburn, Robert Schmidt, and others by spending as much time as possible to get others to write their House or Senate Representatives. You have the power to make this bill become law. You could distribute these flyers to owners of small businesses you know, and ask them to pass them out to customers, pass them out at malls and grocery stores. You can ask organizations such as the ACLU and Nurses Associations to ask their members to write Congress. You can think of other great ideas to spread the message. 87% of Americans disagree with what the federal government is doing, so 87% of people you speak to will be receptive to you. With your help I'll be able to attend the next NORML conference. I hope to see you all next year.Thank you,
from Bryan EpisInfo about the bill: http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=394Write your congress person: http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=356
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