Video & Pics: Free Marc Emery Rally Montgomery, AL Sept. 18, 2010

This may be one of the best pictures....ever.



On Sept. 18, 2010 myself and 20 other dedicated drug policy reform activists from Alabama and Georgia retraced the steps of the historic Civil Rights March up Dexter Ave. to the Alabama State Capitol Building to protest the imprisonment of Canadian Marc Emery in the US Federal penitentiary for selling marijuana seeds over the internet.....from CANADA. The video is below.



We had a very positive encounter with a Montgomery police officer along the way. I was filming and my camera developed some technical problems. While I was attempting to resolve them the marchers continued on up Dexter Ave. When I get the camera fixed I look up to find they had all crossed the street and surrounded a Montgomery Police car, which was parked outside a drug store. I thought, "Oh hell, why are they doing that?" I tend to try and avoid police encounters at all costs and here the group was possibly about to provoke the wrath of one.



The car was unoccupied. When the officer saw them he came out of the store and began talking to them. Everyone had their cameras snapping pictures in case anything happened. But, the officer was very nice. He inquired about what we were doing and why. I was on the opposite side of the street so I didn't catch what all he said to the group.





After a couple minutes everyone crossed back over to where I was and we continued on. the police officer started to leave but instead made a U-turn and pulled up beside me. I walked over to his car and asked him if he needed to see our permit. He said that wouldn't be necessary. Then he asked me why we were doing the Free Marc Emery rally in that particular location. I explained to him that we chose the location for the historical significance and because one of Marc's hero's for peaceful, non-violent, civil disobedience and demonstration against bad laws is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I explained who Marc was and quipped that "Apparently we don't have enough non-violent drug offenders in American prisons so we've had to start importing them." He giggled...which is always a good sign.

Then the officer said, "Yeah, but why here? I mean people are asking me why are people protesting in Montgomery, Alabama for a Canadian? Shouldn't the protest be against the Canadian government for extraditing him? What should I tell them?"

Chris Butts was standing with me and he told officer that it was a world wide rally happening in cities all over the globe. The officer looked surprised. Then the officer asked if marijuana wasn't outlawed around the same time as hemp because of the competition with synthetics like plastic. I told him that was part of it and that today our biggest foes to changing the law are usually the giant pharmaceutical companies. I almost added, "And the prison industrial complex which keeps guys like you employed." But, I didn't because he was being nice and seemed on the surface to have no problem with marijuana or marijuana consumers and because he could have come out swinging his billy club at those who had surrounded his car earlier....but he didn't. He displayed a genuine curiosity about what we were doing, attempted to share some of his own knowledge on the issue and he was very friendly. As he pulled away he said, "I will hang out down here in this area today and make sure no other officers bother you."

Now, how often does that happen? It isn't often that I get to have positive encounters with police officers. When it happens it restores my faith in them a little bit. It makes me feel good when I can walk away from an encounter with the police with a smile on my face, my blood pressure in the normal range, and my hands not in handcuffs. It reinforces that not all of them are bad. That is a good feeling.
So, many thanks to the officer who was so friendly to us and gave us the chance to share in some mutual respect and knowledge exchange.

Many thanks are also in order to everyone who took time out of their weekend to travel to Montgomery and join the march. We had 5 people from north Alabama who drove well over 100 miles each way to be there. Three of them were newcomers who now plan to become involved in the medical marijuana movement here. Four of the attendees came all the way from Atlanta, Georgia. They said they were unable to find a rally there and wanted to be part of one somewhere. That's amazing. It isn't often that something is happening in Montgomery and nothing is happening in Atlanta. I think everyone but me drove over 100 miles each way to attend the march. That's dedication.

A special thanks to Chris Butts who provided the awesome signage and my ride to Montgomery. Without Chris and DJ I would not have made it yesterday due to problems with my truck. They drove a long way out of their way to make sure I could get there. Thanks to Ron Crumpton who brought me home.

And as always thanks to everyone else who came out in the dreadful heat on a college football game day and joined us in protesting the political imprisonment of my close friend and mentor Marc Emery.

I love you guys!

NOTE: Sorry for all the heavy breathing. It was hotter than hell and that was a big hill and I smoke too damn much :)

Here are some more pictures from yesterday.

Marc Emery to be sentenced today

My very close friend and mentor Marc Emery, Canada's "Prince of Pot" will be sentenced in US Federal Court in Seattle, Washington later this morning. It is expected that the Judge will accept the plea deal and sentence Marc to 5 years in a US Federal prison.

Oddly enough, the former federal prosecutor who prosecuted Marc recently wrote a piece for the Seattle Times admitting that the marijuana laws in this country are unjust, harmful to society, enable the black market, fund violent cartels and gangs, and need to be changed. But, he couldn't quite bring himself to say that he and the US Government were wrong for prosecuting Marc in the first place. In fact, and in a very juvenile fashion unbecoming such a highly educated person who once held a lofty rank in our government, he not only didn't say that he/they were wrong, he called Marc Emery and everyone else in America who consumes marijuana idiots.

Read the piece here Marijuana's True Potency and why the Law Should Change

Here is the letter to the editor I sent in reply.

Dear Editor,

In response to John McKay's recent editorial ("Marijuana's true potency" Sept. 3), How ironic that Mr. McKay says he wants to "discuss marijuana policy responsibly", yet, starts his editorial by calling Marc Emery and millions of Americans 'idiots' for choosing to consume marijuana. Demeaning his audience is no way to begin a responsible discussion.

His assertion that Marc Emery took the 'wrong path' in seeking to end this failed policy is incorrect. Marc's seed sales allowed individuals to grow their own marijuana, which took money away from violent drug cartels and redirected it to peaceful activists to fund changes through the legislative process. The policies Mr. McKay enforced funded the drug cartels.

By McKay's own admission marijuana laws are unjust. Yet, he defends upholding them in his capacity as Federal Prosecutor and the continued prosecution today of these unjust laws by his 'brave colleagues'. His rationale is that all laws, even admittedly unjust, harmful, failed ones, must be obeyed. What hypocrisy and true idiocy!

MLK Jr. once said, "One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws”. Marc did that. Mr. McKay didn't. While McKay may see marijuana consumers as 'idiots', judging by MLK's standards, McKay is an immoral coward. He should apologize to Marc Emery.

Respectfully submitted for publication,

Loretta Nall
__________

This morning when I checked my email there was one from Marc pointing me to a column in the National Post that was incredibly similar to the above piece. The author, Chris Selley, didn't stoop so low as to call names, but he did try and demean Marc and his heroic efforts to change these unjust laws in a different way.

A notable defector in the war on pot

And here is the letter I wrote in response to that column.

Dear Editor,

While I agree with most of Chris Selley's column (A Notable defector in the war on Pot Sept. 10) I take exception to the following assertion.

Selley stated, "However asinine, the law's the law."

I live in Alabama where it used to be legal to own a slave and illegal to help a slave gain freedom. We also had 'Jim Crow' laws that prevented blacks and poor whites from taking part in the political process. None of those laws were just and, everyone who had the courage to break them were true heroes, as is Marc Emery.

Just because something is against the law doesn't mean it's bad and just because something is legal doesn't mean it's good, as former Alabama laws so clearly demonstrate. Would Mr. Selley have followed either of those laws had he lived in Alabama at the time they were so brutally enforced, simply because they were laws?

Martin Luther king Jr. once said, "One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws”. Marc Emery clearly has the moral high ground on this issue.

Respectfully Submitted for Publication,
Loretta Nall

Now, all Americans reading this please take a few moments, read both articles, and write an LTE.

Send your letters to:

Seattle Times (200 words or less)
opinion@seattletimes.com

National Post
Submit a Letter to the Editor

Snag in deal by U.S and Canada's "Prince of Pot"

Reuters

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - A deal to resolve the extradition fight between Canada's "Prince of Pot" and U.S. drug authorities has hit a snag, the marijuana activist said on Wednesday.

The United States wants to extradite Marc Emery -- who founded a political party and campaigned across Canada to legalize pot -- on charges he illegally sold marijuana seeds from his Vancouver store to American buyers.

Emery tentatively agreed with U.S. prosecutors in January to plead guilty in return for the charges being dropped against two other defendants and he being allowed to spend the bulk of a 10-year sentence in Canada.

Canada must also approve the deal, but its prosecutors say a Canadian judge cannot be ordered to impose a U.S. prison sentence of no release for at least five years that is stricter than Canadian law requires.

"The Canadian government says that's not legal in Canada ... and so Justice Department in the United States says the deal is not possible because the Canadians are not playing ball so to speak," Emery told reporters.

Emery was in court in Vancouver on Wednesday to set a date for his extradition trial, but a judge agreed to postpone the hearing until April 19 to allow his lawyers, U.S. and Canadian prosecutors to continue negotiating.

Emery said he will fight extradition if a deal is not reached.

Emery has accused Canadian police of bowing to U.S. political demands by arresting him in 2005, since his activities were well-known and tolerated in Canada -- where he even paid taxes on his seed sales.

(Reporting Allan Dowd, Editing by Sandra Maler)

This is EXCEPTIONALLY GREAT NEWS! Marc Emery is my mentor and for years was my employer and funder for drug policy reform work. He doesn't deserve one second in a US or Canadian prison and I am just about beside myself to see that the Canadian justice system is calling bullshit and REFUSING to play ball by American rules.

I love you Marc! Keep kickin' those prohibitionist asses baby!!


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Marc Emery Agrees to 5 years in plea deal

The Vancouver Sun is reporting that Marc Emery, my great friend and mentor, has agreed to a 5-year prison sentence to be served in Canada.

MARC EMERY AGREES TO FIVE YEARS IN CANADIAN PRISON

VANCOUVER - Marc Emery, Vancouver's self-styled Prince of Pot, has
tentatively agreed to a five-year prison term in a plea bargain over
U.S. money laundering and marijuana seed-selling charges.

Facing an extradition hearing Jan. 21 and the all-but-certain
prospect of delivery to American authorities, Emery has cut a deal
with U.S. prosecutors to serve his sentence in Canada. He also hopes
it will save his two co-accused - Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams,
who were his lieutenants for so much of the past decade.

The three were arrested in August 2005 at the request of the United
States and charged even though none had ventured south of the border.
Since then, they have been awaiting the extradition hearing. With the
proceedings about to begin, Emery says his lawyer brokered the best
deal possible.

If accepted by the courts in both countries, Emery said he will serve
the full term and not be eligible for Canada's lenient
get-out-of-jail-early rules.

"I'm going to do more time than many violent, repeat offenders," he
complained. "There isn't a single victim in my case, no one who can
stand up and say, 'I was hurt by Marc Emery.' No one."

He's right. Whatever else you may think of Emery - and he grates on
many people, what is happening here is a travesty of justice. Emery's
case mocks our independence as a country. Prosecutors in Canada have
not enforced the law against selling pot seeds and all you need do is
walk along Hastings Street between Homer and Cambie for proof.

There are numerous stores selling seeds and products for producing
cannabis. Around the corner, you'll find more seed stores. You'll
find the same shops in Toronto and in other major Canadian cities.

The last time Emery was convicted in Canada of selling pot seeds,
back in 1998, he was given a $2,000 fine. Emery has flouted the law
for more than a decade and every year he sends his seed catalogue to
politicians of every stripe.

He has run in federal, provincial and civic elections promoting his
pro-cannabis platform. He has championed legal marijuana at
parliamentary hearings, on national television, at celebrity
conferences, in his own magazine, Cannabis Culture, and on his own
Internet channel, Pot TV.

Health Canada even recommended medical marijuana patients buy their
seeds from Emery. From 1998 until his arrest, Emery even paid
provincial and federal taxes as a "marijuana seed vendor" totalling
nearly $600,000.

He is being hounded because of his success. The political landscape
has changed dramatically as a result of Emery's politicking for
cannabis. Emery challenged a law he disagrees with using exactly the
non-violent, democratic processes we urge our children to embrace and
of which we are so proud.

But along the way he has angered the anti-drug law-enforcement
community - the same gang that insists we must continue an expensive
War on Drugs that has failed miserably for more than a quarter
century and does more harm than good.

READ THE REST

Five years in a Canadian prison with no 'good time' will no doubt suck out loud. However, when considering that Marc was facing life in an American prison it looks like a sweet deal to me. I just spoke with Marc last week about this very thing. At that time he was adamant that he would not take a plea deal. We discussed his motivations for that and when he was done explaining I had to agree with his decision. I also admired it and could see myself being as obstinate as a mule if I were in his position. However, I am very happy to read this morning that he has changed his mind. I hope that the US authorities accept the deal and Marc never has to leave Canadian soil.

I love you Marc. This is the right decision. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise.

Save My Mentor Marc Emery

I don't know how many people who are current readers and supporters of my work are aware of my connection to Marc Emery, Canada's famed 'Prince of Pot'. Marc and I have an almost six year history and he is directly responsible for my entrance into drug policy reform and political activism. It was Marc who inspired me to run for governor and so many of the other things that I have done. I am about to post five videos titled "The US vs. Marc Emery" that is a Canadian Public Television production that documents the case against Marc. He is facing life in a US federal prison for selling marijuana seeds through the mail. Please watch the videos and then contact the Canadian Justice Minister and politely ask him to block the extradition of Marc Emery. Marc's extradition hearing begins on Jan. 21. If he is sent to the US he will die here in a government cage. Every day this month leading up to the extradition hearing I am going to post about Marc, about our history together, our activism together and what a great person he is and why he does not deserve to die for selling seeds to willing buyers of a plant that will not kill you.

Marc, I love you...always will, and I intend to fight like hell to keep you in Canada.