cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Activist Fails To Get Rise Out of Cops










  Marijuana Activist Fails To Get Rise Out of Cops

Posted by CN Staff on July 24, 2003 at 20:29:59 PT
By Wayne Thibodeau, The Guardian  
Source: The Guardian 

A man hailed as the prince of pot taunted Charlottetown city police Wednesday by smoking marijuana in front of their police headquarters. The police ignored Marc Emery, a Vancouver resident on a cross-country tour to protest Canada’s pot laws.Emery plans to smoke pot on the front steps of police stations across the country. He’s already been arrested in Moncton, Winnipeg and Regina. However, police officers in P.E.I.’s capital city seemed unwilling to get in the middle of Emery’s fight.
They drove by as clouds of smoke billowed from Emery’s bong, however nobody approached him or the handful of local supporters who turned out to support his cause.Emery, who wants to get arrested so that the courts can throw out Canada’s marijuana laws, said he was relieved that he didn’t get arrested.“Whenever I don’t get arrested, it is a total, utter relief,” said Emery.“I know the police department knows what’s going on. I hope they are acknowledging that there is no marijuana law in Canada anymore and that they recognize that the provincial court in Summerside has moral and legal sway over this particular jurisdiction and that in fact this is acknowledgement that marijuana is no longer unlawful according to the police in Charlottetown and that you should all exercise your freedom.”A provincial court judge in Summerside set a national precedent by putting a pot smoking charge on hold because the federal government said it was about to legalize small amounts of pot.Emery said his own example – of being arrested in one city in Canada while being ignored in another - is a prime example of the patchwork of laws that now exist.As Emery took his first toke, the crowd next to him applauded.“Here’s to freedom, here’s to Charlottetown, here’s to the wonderful time I’ve had in the Atlantic provinces in and out of jail . . . here’s to marijuana being legal forever and always in this country.”The issue is front and centre in an article published in Cannabis Culture, a magazine and Web site owned by Emery and dedicated to pot heads.In a story posted on its Web site following the Charlottetown protest Wednesday, the magazine writes: “Indeed police seem totally baffled about what to do with marijuana smokers in general, and Marc Emery in particular. When Cannabis Culture called the Charlottetown police station an hour before Emery’s appearance there to ask if he would be arrested, police seemed unaware that a demonstration was about to take place.”The Guardian also tried to get somebody from the Charlottetown Police Department to explain why Emery was not arrested in P.E.I. like he was in Moncton, but nobody was available to comment.Emery is now off to Newfoundland where the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary has said it will arrest him and anybody else who smokes up during a planned protest there Saturday. There were about a dozen supporters at the Charlottetown protest Wednesday. A blond-haired young man from Summerside who would only give his first-name as Jonathan said he wanted to come out to support Emery.“I support him all the way,” he said.John, from Charlottetown, said he wants to get the message out that smoking pot is no longer illegal, a message that may not be shared by all police forces.“I’ve been smoking marijuana for three decades myself,” he said.“I think P.E.I. does recognize that pot is legal.”Emery said smoking pot is a P.E.I. tradition.“Although I’m told there is a shortage of really great marijuana in Prince Edward Island, let me tell you that there is a historical tradition here. “When Sir. John A. Macdonald arrived and came to Province House in 1864 to establish the Confederation of Provinces in fact his ship was loaded with rigging, and ropes and sail clothes that were made from the very same plant that I’m about to smoke here.” Complete Title: Pro-Marijuana Activist Fails To Get Rise Out of City CopsSource: Guardian, The (CN PI)Author: Wayne Thibodeau, The Guardian Published: Thursday, July 24, 2003Copyright: 2003 The Guardian, Charlottetown Guardian Group Inc.Contact: letters chg.southam.caWebsite: http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Related Articles & Web Sites:Pot-TVhttp://www.pot-tv.net/Cannabis Culture Magazinehttp://www.cannabisculture.com/Marc Emery Escapes Arrest in Charlottetown http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16932.shtmlPolice Arrest Marijuana Activisthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16927.shtmlMarc Emery Jailed in Moncton http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16920.shtml

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Comment #6 posted by FoM on July 26, 2003 at 15:41:12 PT

CMAP: E-Mail from Marc Emery
CMAP: Summer of Legalization Tour: Catch and Release in St. John's, Newfoundland Date: Sat, 26 Jul 2003 
    Marc Emery writes:These are polite places, these Atlantic provinces. Over 200 people attended (I brought 120 brochures and they all were handed out), without question the largest turn-out of the Summer of Legalization Tour. I spoke for 20 minutes wearing my suit and a 'St. John's Maple Leafs' cap (the local farm team for the Toronto Maple Leafs) using an ocean themed bong. My speech got a good response but a large media contingent was there and the crowd swelled up right to 4.20 p.m., whereby I urged the crowd to sing 'O Canada' with me and I lit up at the end and the police did move in pretty quickly, but politely. Much to my surprise, there was no prison cell with this arrest, nor was I booked. I did hand over a gram of marijuana just to make sure they charged me. I have to go back to the station tomorrow and be interviewed by the 'Drug Squad' of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. The police said they will liklely recommend a charge of possession of marijuana be laid, 'but that is up to the crown attorney to decide', they added. I get the sense that there is confusion about the status of the law here in Newfoundland, and the news coverage so far has been helpful in disseminating the correct information regarding the 'marijuana possession is not an offense known unto law' statement by the Ontario Court of Appeal, further validation by the Rogin decision (Superior Court of Ontario)and provincial court decisions in St. John (New Brunswick), Summerside (PEI), Halifax (Nova Scotia). Here in St. John's, the Telegram newspaper had editorialized last Saturday that in view of the Ontario Court of Appeal decision, which the newspaper corroborated is as it has been described by me, asked the RNC (Royal Newf. Constabulary) what decision they would make about blatant pot smoking. For 2 days, no decision. Then they said they would arrest me, which indeed they did, but released me ten minutes after arrest (much to my genuine surprise) with the proviso I show up tomorrow to be further interviewed by the drug squad officer in charge, and then at that point they would or would not recommend charges be laid, and then the crown attorney would get the final say. Everyone was very polite, and some of the police officers expressed some degree of admiration. I know that police officers are reading these reports, so I don't want to embarass anyone by quoting them, but lets say the police here were gentlemanly and decent, with some positive remarks. Of course, I was pretty shocked to be released so quickly after arrest, and 40 or so people were there still, so we spoke (on police property stil!) together and I to the media (still there) for another hour. The police eventually came out, not to shew us away (I said, "Well, I guess we shouldn't make the police station our club house) but in fact said we were welcome to congragate there and continue 'as long as no one is smoking pot' which we weren't since we were all caught up in the discussion and I never thought about it. I was expansive as usual after Blueberry (the original bong hit at 4.20 p.m.) and the people seemed happy about the event. I am meeting with 50 or so of the St. John people in about 15 minutes so I am off to meet the group now. I came back to let you know that change is happening and the audience was all excited by events and my speech, so I am very happy. Also, two people were excited about running in the federal election for the Marijuana Party of Canada, in the 2004 election next spring, so that rocks. So tonight we celebrate and discuss further how to advance the movement here on the Rock. More later, and I know a video and digital stills are soon to be uploaded here. Marc St. John's, 6.46 p.m. Newfoundland time Summer of Legalization Tour 2003 DrugRadio: http://www.salvagingelectrons.com/drugradio/
 

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Comment #5 posted by FoM on July 26, 2003 at 14:41:40 PT

News Brief: Prince of Pots Lights Up 
Prince of Pots Lights Up Saturday July 26, 2003 A large turn out this afternoon as the self-proclaimed Prince of Pot paid a visit to RNC headquarters in the capital city. Marc Emery, who is on a cross-Canada tour to promote the legalization of marijuana, addressed the crowd and answered questions before lighting up his pipe. RNC officers who were standing by moved in to arrest Emery, however the crowd tried to form a human barrier around the cannabis crusader. RNC Staff Sergeant June Layden says Emery has been released from custody and ordered to reappear at police headquarters on Monday. She says no charges has been laid as of yet. http://www.vocm.com/cgi-win/vocm.exe/80338-Local

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Comment #4 posted by Virgil on July 25, 2003 at 09:27:06 PT

It was unconstitutional on July 30, 2000
The situation was deemed unconstitutional in the Parker case on July 30, 2000. There was a stay of 1 year to correct the situation. The courts suspended the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to do that. They bent over backwards to give Total Prohibition a chance and the administrators failed. But if it was unconstitutional on July 30th 3 years ago, wasn't it unconstitutional when the Charter of Rights and Freedoms was approved? Yes, it just took the courts 20 years to say so.The mechanisms that support federal cannabis prohibition violate the US Constitution. It is not just now unconstitutional, it has always been unconstitutional. Where are all the patriots that bought the Chinese made flags after 9/11? The No Child Left Behind Act is a farce. The object is to move everything to the side and make way for the corruption of fascism. Everything is about evaporating up and ending trickle down and Move the Children to the Side.
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Comment #3 posted by Lehder on July 25, 2003 at 05:45:48 PT

what to do?
>>Indeed police seem totally baffled about what to do with marijuana
   smokers in general, and Marc Emery in particular.What to do? Fuck off, busybodies. Leave decent people alone. Let them smoke quietly at home. Don't be peeping through their curtains and they won't have to smoke at the doors of police stations.If the Canadian police feel idled, they could send a crew to Texas to track down the Bush daughters and blow them to hell. A publicity campaign condemning them as alcoholics and drug abusers would win public support and entertain as well. The televised display of their corpses would impress the world with the resolve of Canadian police and unambiguously show the dangers of drug abuse. With these out-of-control girls finally subdued, barroms throughout the Americas would be safe again for responsible adult drinking.
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Comment #2 posted by Sam Adams on July 25, 2003 at 05:27:53 PT

Yes AB
that jumped out at me, too. The judges don't give a hoot what the politicians "promise", they're acting because other judges have struck down the law already......
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Comment #1 posted by afterburner on July 24, 2003 at 22:55:19 PT:

Marc Doesn't Want to Get Arrested Where Courts...
have already nullified. He would rather not get arrested as an acknowledgement that police in other jurisdictions accept that cannabis is already legal all over Canada. If they do arrest him, he is willing to go to jail and court to challenge their right to enforce a nullified federal law.A provincial court judge in Summerside set a national precedent by putting a pot smoking charge on hold because the federal government said it was about to legalize small amounts of pot.More mixed-up facts: the Summerside judge "put a pot [possession] charge on hold because" [of the Rogin decision in Ontario, which ruled that the federal law was unconstitutional due to the fact that the federal government did not pass new legislation within the one year period mandated in the Terry Parker case, thereby nullifying the law. Under the equal treatment of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, judges in both Nova Scotia and PEI ruled that their residents deserved the same protection afforded to Ontario residents by the Rogin decision. The federal government's long over-promised and under-delivered decriminalization, which is really recriminalization since the law has been declared null, had no bearing on the PEI decision. And "the federal government [has not] said it was about to legalize small amounts of pot", it has "said it was about to [decriminalize] small amounts of pot."]No Laws Ban Possession of Marijuana, Court Rules http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/16/thread16321.shtmlN.S. Judge Stays Pot Charges http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/15/thread15832.shtmlPossession Law Challenged in Summerside Court
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15316.shtmlPot Charges Could Be Stayed Across Canada
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15828.shtmlego transcendence follows ego destruction, it's the new generation, the new millennium, the new reality, the new legality.
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