cannabisnews.com: Cops Dismiss Pot Provocateur Cops Dismiss Pot Provocateur Posted by CN Staff on July 22, 2003 at 08:12:15 PT By Keith Bradford, Edmonton Sun Source: Edmonton Sun A pot activist who is making a habit of getting locked up for lighting up likely won't feel the strong arm of the law when his nationwide "smokeout" tour hits Edmonton next month, say cops. Marc Emery, publisher of Cannabis Culture, was arrested for smoking pot in Winnipeg earlier this month and spent last night in a jail cell in Moncton, N.B., according to supporters. The B.C. activist is due in Calgary Aug. 9 and Edmonton the next day as a part of a pro-legalization tour. But city police spokesman Wes Bellmore said cops have no intention of becoming the "lightning rod" for anyone's publicity stunts. "We usually don't go out of our way to become involved in these stunts," said Bellmore. "If he comes and smokes pot on our stairs and that's the extent of it, it's quite likely we won't have much of a response." Emery, the self-proclaimed prince of pot, has visited four cities in three provinces this month as part of his tour. But he said he doesn't want to be charged and was "elated" when cops didn't arrest him during Saturday's rally in Halifax, N.S. He wasn't as lucky in Moncton yesterday, supporters said. Emery also missed a planned stop in Dauphin, Man., July 10, after being arrested and detained in Winnipeg. And he admits his tour dates - including those in Alberta - are dependent on him being legally free to attend. University of Alberta criminal law professor Sanjeev Anand called Emery's tour an "irresponsible" waste of taxpayers' money. "You have to question whether this guy is actually accomplishing anything," said Anand. "The matters are already going to be dealt with by the courts. There's already a legislative initiative. So all he's doing is wasting taxpayers' money and his own." Anand said charges laid against Emery and any subsequent court appearances will cost taxpayers thousands of dollars. "If he wants to do something constructive, maybe he should go and volunteer at food shelters." But John Carpay, Alberta director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's nothing anyone can do about the cost of "civil disobedience." "It is costing the justice system some money, but it's also a long-standing tradition of certain individuals to bend the law to prove a point." Former B.C. Marijuana Party -- http://www.bcmarijuanaparty.ca/ -- leader Brian Taylor, now editor of Cannabis Health magazine -- http://www.cannabishealth.com/ -- said he doesn't support Emery's confrontational style but thinks he has a good point. "We are trying to avoid that image of blowing smoke in your face," he said. "But the marijuana laws are non-existent and he's forcing institutions to deal with that." Source: Edmonton Sun (CN AB) Author: Keith Bradford, Edmonton SunPublished: Tuesday, July 22, 2003Copyright: 2003 Canoe Limited PartnershipContact: letters edm.sunpub.comWebsite: http://www.fyiedmonton.com/htdocs/edmsun.shtml Related Articles & Web Sites:Pot-TVhttp://www.pot-tv.net/Cannabis Culturehttp://www.cannabisculture.com/ Pot Activist Arrested at Rally http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16921.shtmlMarc Emery Jailed in Moncton http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16920.shtmlPot Activist Arrested in Moncton http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16919.shtmlThe Halifax Police Station Goes To Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16906.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #10 posted by FoM on July 22, 2003 at 20:28:01 PT afterburner That's good to know it wasn't only in Ontario. If you could get a coffee shop going that would be a great job to have. We've been self employed since the mid eighties when my husband lost his job at G.E. because they sent the work to Mexico. We started with a dream and have made it so far. We've had great times and some very bad times but it has always been done our way. I wish that for you and everyone. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by afterburner on July 22, 2003 at 19:49:10 PT: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Halifax, Nova Scotia, didn't bust. Tomorrow is Charlottetown, PEI, where the courts have stayed charges. The news says Edmonton, Alberta, probably won't bust. St. John's, Newfoundland, was uncertain, but now plans to bust, a fax might change their mind. btw, I went scouting locations for a "Coffee" House yesterday. There seem to be quite a few vacant storefronts that would be better utilized with a cafe. The whole time that song "Bush Doctor" kept running through my head.ego destruction leads to ego transcendence, Bush's "doctors" or bush doctor? Bush Doctor [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by FoM on July 22, 2003 at 19:30:45 PT afterburner That helps a lot. Windsor is in Ontario from what it looks like on the map. It seems that only Ontario is respecting the ruling to me. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by afterburner on July 22, 2003 at 19:08:40 PT: A View of Cannabian Freedom. I agree about the inconsistent sound level. Here's a Canadian map: MapQuest World Atlas: North America > Canada http://www.mapquest.com/atlas/main.adp?region=canadaSt. John's, not shown, is in Newfoundland, right under ATLANTIC OCEAN. Charlottetown, not shown, is in Prince Edward Island (PEI), just under Newfoundland. Halifax is in Nova Scotia, below PEI. Moncton, the site of the third bust, not shown, is in New Brunswick, to the left of Nova Scotia. Windsor, not shown, is southwest of Toronto, left of 80° W, just across from Detroit, Michigan, USA. Ottawa is northeast of Toronto on the border of Quebec. Winnipeg, Manitoba, the site of the first arrest, is to the left of Ontario. Dauphin, Manitoba, not shown, is slightly to the north. Click for a larger view. Regina, the site of the second bust, not shown, is in Saskatchewan, which is to the left of Manitoba. Edmonton, Alberta, is to the left of Saskachewan.e.t.f.e.d., visualize it, and we will legalize it. Bush Doctor [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on July 22, 2003 at 18:00:06 PT Thanks afterburner I have been having audio trouble with the phone interviews. The volume is really loud and then real low. It would be nice to see a map for us to follow the tour. Is that a good idea? I know where most of the states are except some southern and some in the upper north west but not much about Canada. Is St. Johns in Ontario?Vancouver and Toronto I know where they are. Is Windsor far from Toronto and in Ontario? I ask because where is Marc getting arrested. Has he gotten arrested in Ontario. Maybe these questions don't make sense. I'm just a dumb american! LOL! [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by afterburner on July 22, 2003 at 17:36:14 PT: St. John's Police threaten Marcs arrest: FAX first Marc Emery Gives An On The Road To Legalization East-Coast Update http://www.pot-tv.net/archive/shows/pottvshowse-2082.html The Summer of Legalization Smoke-Out Tour with Pot-TV http://www.pot-tv.net/ram/pottvshowse2082.ram Running Time: 8 min Date Entered: 22 Jul 2003 Viewer Rating: 7.77 (3 votes) Number of Views: 151 "Chris Bennett gets an on-the-road Summer of Legalization Smoke-Out Tour Update from Marc Emery who was arrested in the Moncton stop-over but not in Halifax where Police are apparently acknowledging that there is curently no laws agains possession of cannabis in Canada. The Tour Continues.Remaining Maritime Dates. Charlottetown, 4.00 p.m. Wed. July 23. St. John's, NFLD. 4.00 p.m. Saturday, July 26. The St. John's Police have said they will arrest Marc when he makes his Newfoundland stop-over on the Smoke-Out Tour. We are encouraging People to fax the Police the following information to make them aware that there is currently no Federal Law regarding Marijuana Possession in Canada, prior to Marc's arrival, in the hopes we can get the Police to Respect the current Legal Situation as they have done in both Halifax and Ontario.City of Charlottetown Police Headquarters Phone: (902) 566-4455 FAX: (902) 894-5508 ST JOHN'S 'B' DIVISION HEADQUARTERS Telephone: (709) 772-5400 Fax: (709) 772-4519 "e. t. f. e. d., soldier on Marc. more (fax notice to law enforcement info) [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Petard on July 22, 2003 at 09:41:07 PT: Cops wasting the money Wonder if his detractors tune will change once he wins Civil Court judgements for thousands of dollars over these violations of his rights? Seems that arresting, detaining, relieving citizens of their property/possessions for no valid legal reason should be more costly than defending oneself from such actions. I think the Court will "restore him to whole" on the money he's out, then tack on a punitive award to get the cops to understand they can't just do as they please by violating the Charter and committing offenses against persons. Judges generally are more sensible than goon squads. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on July 22, 2003 at 09:13:49 PT Money I'm sure it is costing Marc Emery more money to do this tour then to prosecute him. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by afterburner on July 22, 2003 at 08:43:32 PT: Everybody's Talking Prohibition Wastes Taxpayers'$ University of Alberta criminal law professor Sanjeev Anand called Emery's tour an "irresponsible" waste of taxpayers' money.80 years of cannabis prohibition has been "an 'irresponsible' waste of taxpayers' money." Marc is helping to reduce the continuance of this massive waste by informing law enforcement across Canada that the law is null and void. Plus, he's getting people talking, a necessary debate before or if any new legislation is considered. Soup's not a bad idea if it's Virgil's cannabis soup.ego transcendence follows ego destruction, don't shoot the messenger. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Truth on July 22, 2003 at 08:22:48 PT Marc I'd say that trying to keep folks from being caged for using a plant is a lot more noble then serving soup.It's the cops wasting tax money, not the bonger. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment