cannabisnews.com: O Canada, O Cannabis O Canada, O Cannabis Posted by CN Staff on November 20, 2003 at 07:57:01 PT By Debra J. Saunders Source: San Francisco Chronicle "I don't think a kid 17 years old, who has a joint, should have a criminal record," outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien told the New York Times last week. I'm no Chretien fan, but on this, I must agree. Who would have thought that when my generation came of age, U.S. marijuana laws would be basically what they were when we were young? Or that millions in taxpayer dollars would be spent to prosecute and incarcerate users? On his way out of Canada's highest office, Chretien proposed a Cannabis Reform Bill -- dubbed "soft pot'' legislation -- to change the penalty for possession of up to 15 grams of marijuana from jail time to fines of $150 for adults or $100 for minors. Reports conflict as to whether Canadian lawmakers will approve this piece of "legacy" legislation. But it's clear the Bush administration strongly opposes any softening of drug policy across the border, lest it increase drug use in the U.S.A. Too bad: Americans might benefit by seeing what happens in a Canada that has, in essence, decriminalized personal possession of marijuana. Maybe the results won't all be rosy. Consider the seedy side of Amsterdam, where coffee shops legally sell cannabis. Ditto Oakland's "Oaksterdam" -- a district so dubbed for its medical marijuana clubs -- to which recreational users and robbers have flocked. A gay and lesbian youth center was so concerned about marijuana smoke wafting around the noses of vulnerable youths that it closed its Oaksterdam office. The executive director told The Chronicle, "When drugs are in the area, everything else comes with it." Ethan Nadelmann, founder of the Drug Policy Alliance, doesn't buy the seedy argument. Cities invite blight, he said; it's not the drugs. Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/11/20/EDG9G35CMK1.DTL Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)Author: Debra J. Saunders Published: Thursday, November 20, 2003 Copyright: 2003 San Francisco Chronicle - Page A - 27 Contact: letters sfchronicle.comWebsite: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/Related Articles & Web Site:Drug Policy Alliancehttp://www.drugpolicy.org/Anti-Smoking Laws Threaten Oaksterdamhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17763.shtmlChrétien Jokes About Trying Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17465.shtml PM Jokes He'll Try Pot Once It's Decriminalizedhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17463.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #2 posted by druid on November 20, 2003 at 08:45:28 PT CANADIAN REFUGEE BOARD RULES ON KUBBY CASE VANCOUVER: Canadaıs Immigration and Refugee Board has made a final decision on whether American medical marijuana advocates Steve and Michele Kubby are entitled to permanent refugee status in Canada. The 60 page decision was officially entered on Tuesday, November 18th, but must await translation into French, before it is released next week.Steve Kubby has been diagnosed with a rare form of adrenal cancer and has survived much longer than expected just by using large quantities of marijuana to control its deadly symptoms. A decision against Kubby could force him back to the US, where he would be arrested and denied medical marijuana. A Canadian cancer specialist has testified that Mr. Kubby could die of a heart attack or stroke, in as little as 48 hours, if he is denied medical marijuana.However, if the Board rules in the Kubbysı favor, it could open the door for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of other U.S. citizens to seek refuge in Canada. In the past, Canada has been reluctant to offer refugee status to U.S. citizens. Only one American has ever won and that case was overturned on appeal. Canada and the US take the 'official position' that there is no political persecution of citizens in either country, and therefore refugee status is not appropriate. A recently published report in the Toronto Sun revealed that sixteen Canadians have been granted refugee protection in the US, directly contradicting this official position.The Kubbys have argued that the U.S. governmentıs "War on Drugs" is in fact political, and that Steve Kubby, an outspoken opponent of anti-pot laws, has been singled out for persecution by both Federal and California law enforcement agencies. A national poll shows a majority of Canadians want the Kubby's to be allowed to stay in Canada. The full story of the Kubbysı battles with the drug warriors is chronicled in a forthcoming book, REEFER REFUGEES, written by Richard Cowan, the former National Director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. His book chronicles the Kubbysı battle for survival, first in the California courts and now in a Canadian refugee system designed for people fleeing Third World dictatorships.During his 1998 gubernatorial campaign, Kubby was put under investigation for six months by a multi-state and federal taskforce, based on nothing more than an anonymous letter and a DEA report that later proved to be a fraud. Even though the taskforce found no evidence of any sales during their surveillance, they raided the Kubby family home anyway, arresting Steve and his wife, leading to a two-year court battle that ended in their acquittal on the marijuana charges.Regardless of how you feel about marijuana, this book is an explosive mixture of pot and politics that documents the terrifying details of a drug war gone insane. One example: journalist Pete Brady, who met Steve Kubby on assignment, was later arrested and threatened -- by the police -- with prison rape if he didn't make up testimony against Kubby.Most Americans will be surprised to learn that Americans are seeking political refugee status in Canada -- again. Vietnam War "draft-dodgers" and pre-Civil War runaway slaves set the precedent, but now a new book tells the story of a new kind of refugee, medical marijuana patients.The bookıs author, Richard Cowan, does not hide his opinions or his indignation, but he often relies on various contemporaneous media reports to tell the story. The result is a massively documented account of abuse of power by police, prosecutors, judges, and even two Attorneys General of California.At times the story is truly bizarre. Kubby's diagnosis -- and his benefiting from marijuana -- has been confirmed by leading American and Canadian cancer specialists. Oddly, Kubby originally discovered that his symptoms could be controlled by marijuana on a tip from his old college roommate.That would not be so surprising, except for the fact that his friend was Cheech Marin, whose partner Tommy Chong is now in a Federal prison for selling a glass pipe in Pennsylvania. Former Clinton Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey liked to call medical marijuana "Cheech and Chong medicine." He was more right than he knew.The Preview Edition of Reefer Refugees was published by the Kubby Defense Fund to provide background information to the news media, for their use in preparing coverage of the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Boardıs forthcoming decision on the Kubbysı case. Bona fide members of the news media may obtain a copy of the Preview Edition by contacting the Kubby Defense Fundıs publicist, David Nolan: dfnolan cox.net. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by BigDawg on November 20, 2003 at 08:32:12 PT Not quite The executive director told The Chronicle, "When drugs are in the area, everything else comes with it."Actually, When drugs are illegal and in the area, everything else comes with it. I've never heard anyone complain about a pharmacy going up in a neighborhood. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment