Jodie Emery's Blog

Here is a collection of the news coverage and quotes I got into the media from the recent protest we held against Prime Minister Harper and his backwards, costly Bill C-10, which will see the cannabis culture targeted and imprisoned under US-style drug laws.

"Protesters greet Stephen Harper during Science World visit in Vancouver"

November 25th, 2011
The Georgia Straight

When Harper emerged from Science World after the media event, people were waiting with signs that read “Stop Harper” and “Gang violence is caused by drug prohibition”.

Among the crowd was Vancouver marijuana activist Jodie Emery. Emery said she showed up to protest against the federal government’s tough-on-crime legislation, Bill C-10.

“We know that it’s expensive and it’s a policy that will not reduce the drug problems. The American example has proven it,” Emery said.

“Harper bringing in these tough new laws is only going to make the streets more dangerous and make gangsters more rich and more in control of these drugs when we should be controlling and taxing and regulating it ourselves,” she said.

"Harper hounded by protesters at Science World visit"

November 25th, 2011
News 1130

With a voice above everyone else, Jodie Emery shouted:

"Prime Minister Harper, keep Canada safe! End prohibition! Protect our children! The drug war does not work! America proves it does not work! Stop wasting our tax dollars!"

"Stephen Harper again says no to decriminalizing pot"

November 25th, 2011
CKNW news

Local activist Jodie Emery says it may be too late to change his mind, but she's hoping other politicians are more open-minded...including BC's premier.

"Harper, he's not going to change his mind, but I'm hoping that people like Christy Clark --who's a very smart woman and knows that prohibition's a failure-- can tell him that it's a waste of tax dollars, it's a waste of resources and there's better ways to keep our children and community safe."

CTV BC Evening News

November 25th, 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L890AwjQlRw

"Harper and Clark: Fiscal restraint, fancy new Science World"

November 25th, 2011
Vancouver Observer

Apart from the Occupy Vancouver crew, there were also protesters advocating for reform in marijuana law. Marijuana activist Jodie Emery was among the recognizable faces present, wielding the signature Canadian cannabis flag and shouting, “End prohibition!”

Questions asked during Harper’s presentations had addressed the recent announcement by former Vancouver mayors, voicing their support for the potential legalization and taxation of marijuana.

Harper responded, expressing his administration’s opposition to such an idea.

“It’s not happening under our government,” he said.

"Legalizing weed won't happen under Harper's watch"

November 26th, 2011
News 1130

Pot activist Jodie Emery says Harper's stance is ignorant, but she's not surprised.

"Harper bringing in all these tough new laws is only going to make the streets more dangerous and make gangsters even more rich and more in control of these drugs, when we should be controlling, taxing and regulating it ourselves. [We need to] keep our communities safe by ending prohibition, the same way they dealt with the problem during alcohol prohibition."

"He's against the opinion of the majority of Canadians who believe marijuana should be legalized. Public opinion and most people know that the drug war is a failure, Harper is going in the opposite direction," she adds.

"PM gets bumpy ride at project opening"

November 27th, 2011
The Province

Pot activist Jodie Emery said Harper should pay heed to what citizens on the West Coast are saying, particularly about marijuana prohibition.

Emery referred to the call last week by former Vancouver mayors Mike Harcourt, Philip Owen, Larry Campbell and Sam Sullivan for the legalization and taxation of marijuana production, to which current mayor Gregor Robertson confirmed his own commitment on Thursday.

"With Gregor Robertson also joining, it makes four former mayors and one current one calling for change," she said. "The only ones benefiting from [marijuana] prohibition are the police, politicians and gangsters."

Here is a recent news story related to prohibition and reform activism:

"Stop the Violence calls for regulation of marijuana"

November 19th, 2011
McGill Daily

Jodie Emery – wife of BC marijuana policy reform advocate Marc Emery, who is currently serving a five-year sentence in an American prison for the sale of cannabis seeds – is director-at-large of the BC Green Party, and has been campaigning for the legalization of the drug for years.

“The message is very important,” Emery said. “We need to point out violence is caused by the policies surrounding the drug and not the drug itself. Keeping it illegal keeps it under the control of gangs.”

...

Emery explained that cracking down on marijuana trafficking will do the opposite of what it claims to, saying it could cost taxpayers billions of dollars through consequences like increased prison populations, and serve to make the drug market more violent than it already is.

“The only parties who benefit from this are the police, the politicians and the gangsters,” Emery said.

Working the phones at Prop 19 HQBefore Marc was shipped from Seattle to a prison in southern Nevada (en route to his designated prison in Taft, California) he told me I should go to California to help the Proposition 19 campaign to legalize cannabis. He was excited for me to do phone calls, hold signs, and whatever else was needed to help Prop 19 win.

Cannabis Culture editor Jeremiah Vandermeer would join me to cover the campaign and stream the November 2nd election results live online at our Cannabis Culture Ustream account. I already had a flight booked from Vancouver to Seattle to visit Marc on Saturday, October 30th, so the plan was for me to visit him and then go to Oakland, California that night. However, on Thursday, October 21st Marc was shipped out from SeaTac FDC to a private prison in the state of Nevada (please send him mail!), so I wouldn’t be able to visit him that weekend. Instead I went down to Oakland earlier on Saturday and arrived that night to help campaign on Sunday, October 31st.

My arrival in California to help the Prop 19 campaign was already announced in the Canadian media: Lena Sin from The Province newspaper interviewed me on Friday October 29th for an article about Proposition 19’s possible effect on BC’s cannabis industry. The story was picked up by other newspapers in the PostMedia news chain and published in Sunday’s Province.

I hadn’t been to California since I was 12 years old when my family went to Disneyland. Before Marc was extradited and imprisoned, we spent every day together and didn’t ever leave Canada – and certainly never went to the USA. With Marc locked up, I have been to Seattle in Washington many times to visit him, and also spoke four times at Seattle Hempfest in August of this year (I also spent one day in Seattle in 2009, before Marc was extradited, to speak at Hempfest). I’ve also been to Portland, Oregon on September 11th to attend and speak at the 6th annual Portland Hempstalk festival, with the generous help of Paul Stanford and THCF. That was a wonderful experience.

But this was my first time to legendary California as a cannabis activist! I was so excited to be able to see the Prop 19 campaign in action. Marc and I supported the initiative one hundred percent, and were both so disappointed in the final results of 46% yes, 54% no. But we were both overjoyed and impressed with the people who worked so hard to achieve so many yes votes, opened the dialogue about – and bringing global attention to – ending cannabis prohibition, and created a team of professionals and volunteers that accomplished more than any activism effort in history. It was astounding.

On Saturday night I checked into my hotel, the Clarion on 13th Street. Looking at the Google Earth map to see the location, I was stunned to see a visual of a boarded-up, abandoned building, but the Clarion website assured me a fairly new hotel was in place. The entire downtown of Oakland was once notoriously dangerous and run-down, but when Richard Lee – the man behind proposition 19 – opened his dispensaries in the mid-1990s and started bringing people and money to the downtown core, the city of Oakland began to develop and grow. My hotel was just six blocks from Oaksterdam University and the Prop 19 campaign headquarters, and I felt very safe and impressed with the businesses and people in the area. I went to sleep and prepared myself for the next day.

Oaksterdam UniversityDAY 1 – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31

Sunday morning I woke up feeling a bit nervous. I was in a new city, by myself, going to help out at the campaign headquarters of a state initiative I had been so impressed by and supportive of. I was here to make a difference! After a breakfast of oatmeal, fruit, toast and orange juice at the hotel restaurant, I headed down 13th street to Broadway, and then walked along Broadway up to the University. It was a beautiful sunny day. I passed by Oakland City Hall, a majestic and beautiful structure, and admired the architecture of buildings along the street, especially the lean, tall triangular ones with the entryways at the narrowest point where the road divides around it – there are a few smaller versions of that style in Vancouver, so charming!

I passed by the front doors of Oaksterdam University, a large building with a huge white exterior wall overlooking a massive parking lot, with a gigantic “Oaksterdam University” name and the school seal painted on the side. It was just like I had seen in pictures! I passed by, knowing that the Prop 19 headquarters was one block further, in the old Oaksterdam University space. For the last year the old university location was the home of Prop 19, the base of operations. I was excited when I showed up, and there were tables with computers and phones, banners and information hanging on the walls, and people working hard making calls, talking about plans, and sorting signs.

I introduced myself and said I was here to work – Marc told me to “make phone calls, hold signs, sweep the floors, get them coffee; whatever you can do to help!” – and I met a few people before being introduced to Dave, whom everyone called Super Dave. He made record numbers of phone calls, and was one of the stars of the campaign. I was brought to an old-school computer and a very old phone (most political campaigns are bare-bones), and Dave explained how the program on the computer made the calls, showing their name and location on the screen (it’s a list of people who voted in the last election), and I just spoke when there was a clicking sound. After saying “Hi, my name is Jodie and I’m a volunteer with the Proposition 19 campaign. Have you voted yet?” and going through the rest of the question-answer-information script – which wasn’t necessary to follow once you got the hang of what to say – you checked off their response from the drop-down list provided on the computer screen. The program would then move to the next call. It was actually a lot of fun once I got the hang of it!

On the walls, before I even cameI met a number of people at the Prop 19 headquarters who knew about Marc and wanted to thank me for coming all the way from Canada to help. There were even FREE MARC cards on the walls. Richard Lee came in, the wheelchair-bound entrepreneur behind “Oaksterdam” and Prop 19, and I was so excited to say hello and introduce myself after having communicated via email about my trip down to help, among other brief online conversations. I explained that I was there to do whatever I could to make sure Prop 19 passed.

Kevin Zeese, the current president of Common Sense for Drug Policy, and long-time political and cannabis activist extraordinaire, introduced himself to me. He had been regularly writing to Marc through Corrlinks before Marc was sent away from SeaTac, and I was excited to meet him after hearing so many good things from Marc. We planned on meeting up later that night with Chris Conrad and Mikki Norris, a wonderful couple who were very involved with Prop 19, and who produce the newspaper West Coast Leaf. Chris was also editor of Jack Herer’s “The Emperor Wears No Clothes” and Mikki is behind HR95.org, an effort to bring attention to drug war prisoners.

In four hours of making phone calls, I had an actual impact. I managed to change three “no” votes into “yes” votes! The first was a younger man who said, “I don’t want the industry to be taken over by Marlboro and Camel, I heard they’ve already bought big pot factories!” I explained to him that that wasn’t true, and he and others who didn’t want to buy legal cannabis from mega-corporations would still be able to buy local, organic produce from the businesses that already exist – businesses that would flourish with options for people like him. I also explained that because those companies specialize in tobacco, they can’t and won’t go into the cannabis industry (it’s actually against the law). The young man agreed with me, and I thanked him for changing his vote, saying I was a volunteer from Canada and my husband Marc Emery and I are behind Prop 19 one hundred percent. He said “Marc Emery? The legend Marc Emery? You’re his wife?!” and was so excited. I thanked him again, asked if he was going to take his friends to vote “yes” with him, and he promised he would – I could hear them in the background cheering for Marc. So I checked that young man off as a “yes” vote and moved on to the next call. Victory!

The next convert was an older Hispanic man who said that he was voting no because he didn’t want kids getting access to marijuana. I said, “the problem is that kids are getting cannabis right now, from their friends in high school, am I right?” and he said that was true. “Right now,” I continued, “young people are able to get marijuana much more easily than they can get tobacco and alcohol. So by legalizing it, you can have rules about who can buy it, and kids won’t be able to get access. Proposition 19 protects your children, the policy of prohibition is what creates the problem you are concerned about.” He agreed with me and said that he and his oldest daughter would go and vote “yes” for proposition 19!

CBS News interviewing supportersCBS news came in and interviewed people, including me while I was on the phone making calls, and then talking about Marc. It was a busy place, and I was so excited to be there among so many motivated people. I was asked if I wanted to speak the next day at Berkeley University, where Prop 19 supporters were having a rally. I eagerly accepted! They were so pleased that I was ready for duty. I did phone calls for four hours, then had to go back to the hotel to meet Jeremiah, editor of Cannabis Culture, who had just arrived from Vancouver to start covering the campaign for CC. He grabbed a bite to eat at Burger King and then we took a cab to Chris Conrad and Mikki Norris’ home, where Kevin and his companion had had dinner with Chris and Mikki. It was Halloween night, and there were jack-o-lanterns on doorsteps and kids in costumes being herded about, but that died down after we arrived late in the evening.

We spent some time relaxing and talking about Prop 19 and other subjects, including Canada’s sudden and shocking dangerous shift under the Harper Conservatives. “Everything your government is doing is exactly what happened here in the 1980s, the big prison and drug war boom,” Kevin said after we explained the latest laws and proposed legislation. It’s absolutely true. Americans are stunned when we tell them what’s happening in Canada, the terrifying changes taking place with so little public outcry. But at least we’re not as bad as the USA… yet.

It was getting late, so Chris drove us to the nearby BART station (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and we got one of the last trains down to Oakland. It was a very interesting experience, with ticket machines and weird “turnstile” things. We got off at the 12th Street station, right by our hotel, and walked up from underground to a dead silent night. It was Halloween, but everyone had partied hard on Friday and Saturday, so it was quiet but for the talkative security guard in the plaza who seemed eager for any conversation on a cold, lonely night. We chatted for a bit then headed back to the hotel, eager to get some sleep!

DAY 2 – MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1

I woke up early and did a phone interview right away for News 1130 radio back home in Vancouver. They had seen the Province article and wanted my opinion about what Proposition 19’s passage would mean for BC’s economy – that was the predominant question from the Canadian media. After doing that bit, I got a call from Douglas Quan from the Vancouver Sun, also of the PostMedia news chain, who said he was coming down to Oakland to cover the campaign, and wanted to meet up with me to get my thoughts and comments throughout the entire experience. I was happy to be of assistance!

Jeremiah and I had breakfast downstairs in the hotel restaurant and then got in a cab to go to Berkeley, where the rally took place on the steps of Sproule Hall. All along the walkway area there were students at tables for various groups and organizations, and I felt a lot of admiration for the young people there – people my age – championing their causes and being educated with 30,000 other students. The Prop 19 booth was set up and supporters were wearing shirts and holding signs, giving away stickers to students. I had worn my winter coat and scarf because of the brief morning chill, but it was nearly noon and I was sweltering in the heat, so removed my layers promptly. It’s autumn in California, definitely not like Canada!

I spoke on the steps and received a great response, then did two interviews for independent media. Jeremiah and I took a look around the area, which was just a tiny fraction of the enormous campus, then we went to the Student Union building and took refuge at a table near a coffee shop, where I did an interview on Christy Clark’s show on Vancouver’s CKNW radio at 1:30 (go to the 30-minute point here).

It was almost 2pm and we had to get back down to our hotel, because Ed Rosenthal and his assistant Angela were picking us up for a late lunch meeting with his wife Jane at their house. Jeremiah and I took a walk to the BART transit station near Berkeley, and ran into Prop 19 campaigners on the train. They got off at 19th, right outside Prop 19 headquarters, and Jeremiah and I continued to 12th, outside our hotel. Within moments Angela and Ed were out front in their car, and we drove to Ed’s house. It was a lovely place, previously a childcare centre and remodeled into a combination home and office for Quicktrading Distribution. We sat down for some delicious Chinese food and talked about the Prop 19 campaign, which they were both enthusiastic supporters of. We were all quite discouraged by the anti-19 campaigners, who had been very effective in spreading doubts and fears throughout the cannabis community – the essential base of voters we needed. After being shown around their home, Jane had me sign a print of the roach-art portrait of Marc and me made by Cliff Maynard of Chronic Art, and then I sat down to do a video with Ed to encourage people to vote yes on Prop 19.

I got a phone call from CBC “Power and Politics”, the nation-wide show hosted by Evan Solomon. They wanted to do a live interview at 3pm my time on November 2nd, 6pm out east, and said they wanted me in the Vancouver CBC studio. I had to tell them I wasn’t in Vancouver, which I was so sad to say because Power and Politics is definitely a big show to be on (I’ve been a guest before about the “Free Marc” campaign, as have my employees Jeremiah and Jacob Hunter). They said they would try to set up a studio in Oakland, and would let me know the next day.

Angela offered to drive us back down to our hotel so we could go to the Prop 19 headquarters. When we got to HQ, Jeremiah and I stayed put for a while testing the MacBook Pro and camera for our live streaming broadcast planned for Tuesday night. The place was buzzing with activity! Media were coming around for the big story. I introduced Jeremiah to people and we spent a bit of time at the headquarters doing our testing and planning, and then went back to the hotel to get some dinner. Jeremiah got a message from Angela saying we should go to a restaurant she once worked at in downtown San Francisco. San Fran is just a quick BART train ride away from Oakland, and you get there under the water by train, or over a bridge by car. I felt so sleepy, but Jeremiah said, “You can’t come all the way to Oakland and not go to San Francisco, it’s right there! You won’t regret it, I promise!”

We walked from the hotel to the BART station, and walked by three guys smoking a joint outside a bar. “Vote yes on Prop 19 tomorrow!” I yelled as we walked by, and they said “We’re growers, we’re voting no!” We were stunned – there they were, the cannabis base turned against us, the prohibition profiteers showing their true colours and without any shame. “You’d rather line your own pockets than save people from prison?” I exclaimed, and they threw their hands in the air – “yeah, so?” they seemed to say, not caring. “Shame on you,” I cried out as we turned the corner. How depressing it was to see the reality on the ground, which we had hoped was just Internet chatter – the actual growers who would betray the movement for their own selfish greed. So sad!

We got on the BART train and suddenly people began cheering and whooping – the Giants baseball team just won the World Series game that night in Texas. People in San Fran went crazy! It was wild to get out of the BART system and hear the excitement and honking and celebration on the streets, orange flags and orange lights everywhere. It was like Vancouver at the Olympics when Canada won gold in hockey; people were going nuts! It was lots of fun walking to the restaurant, which was actually more of a bar, and we had a bite to eat as we waited for Angela to arrive. I was on the phone with Marc, as he calls me regularly from the private prison he’s in right now, and we talked about what I had done that day. Angela brought a friend over to our table, a Republican who was on the fence about voting for Prop 19, as he was neither for it nor against it. We had a long conversation about why conservatives should support ending prohibition – it’s an economically unsound, liberty-reducing, society-damaging policy – but I can’t say for sure we convinced him. At least we tried.

After dinner, Angela took us for a late-night tour of San Francisco. We drove to a viewpoint by the Golden Gate bridge, and then went up to Haight and Ashbury streets, where so much counter-culture and peace activism happened, and I was even shown the “painted ladies” houses where the TV show “Full House” was filmed. The city was bathed in orange light for the Giants victory win, and we got a spectacular view of the whole city from Treasure Island, a great vantage point located along the Bay Bridge between Oakland and San Francisco. It was a wonderful night and Jeremiah was right, I didn’t regret it one bit!

DAY 3 – TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2

Election day, and excitement was hanging in the air. Jeremiah and I got up and went to the 10am Proposition 19 press conference on the steps of City Hall, right between our hotel and the campaign headquarters. Marc had told me to make calls and hold up signs, so I got up behind the podium with others and held up a Prop 19 sign, front and almost-centre! Backdrops at press conferences are very important so having a lot of people holding up a recognized logo is essential for messaging. I was surprised by how intense and warm the sun was, but I held my sign high and smiled. CNN, Fox, everyone was there – and I got a message from a supporter saying he saw me on CNN! Sure enough, the Prop 19 video on CNN’s YouTube account shows me right there with my sign (unfortunately, only Americans can view the video).

November 2nd press conferenceJeremiah and I decided to stop by the deli located next to the Oaksterdam University entrance, and I ran into Richard Lee’s mother, a Republican from Texas who was enthusiastically in support of her son’s campaign and opposed to the war on drugs. She and I chatted for a while, and she was deeply sympathetic about Marc’s imprisonment. I then did a very long phone interview for The Metro newspaper back home, 40 minutes discussing prohibition, cannabis, the government of Canada, and much more.

After that conversation ended, Jeremiah and I decided to go to a Tully’s coffee shop in one of the previously mentioned triangular-style old buildings, right by City Hall. We wanted to test out our live broadcast again because at least 120 people were already in our live stream chat waiting for our video feed to begin. We had said it would start at 6pm that night, but people were excited for updates already! Jeremiah and I were also waiting for CC ad manager Britney to meet up with us, as she had flown in that morning to help us with the live broadcast that night. Most people don’t know that she and Jeremiah are the only employees of mine for Cannabis Culture Magazine, except for occasional article contributors – we have a small but hard-working team!

Walking down the street, we saw two guys in white t-shirts that said “NO ON 19” with the 19 in a red crossed-out circle, like a “no smoking” sign. I shook my head and couldn’t even face them, while Jeremiah went up and stated debating. I eventually walked over and we exchanged our differing opinions, then I had to drag Jeremiah away before the argument got out of hand. Their concerns were that California would lose all of its money to other states, which didn’t make sense. There was no way to reason with them. We continued to the coffee shop to wait for Britney. After she arrived we began some live streaming from my MacBook Pro, but the free coffee shop Internet connection kept cutting out. We announced that we were going to the hotel to check Britney in, and would try the live stream again from Jeremiah’s room.

Once back at the hotel, we did some updates and shared more information online, watching the audience numbers climb. Marc called and we spoke to him, and let everyone know how he’s holding up. He explained that he was waiting to be transferred to Taft FCI in California, and was getting anxious about moving on because the Nevada Southern Detention Centre was a brand new private prison and somewhat chaotic, and he has no books or magazines or mail because we thought he wouldn’t be there long. He talked about how important Prop 19 is and why it was so momentous for the cannabis culture. It was a great update from my man!

We decided to pack up our things, have a quick break, and then head to the Prop 19 headquarters, so we said goodbye to our 1,000 or so viewers and promised to be back at 4:20pm. We grabbed a bite to eat at Subway, and promptly began our live broadcast as we walked to the campaign headquarters. It was streamed from Jeremiah’s iPhone 4, a brilliant piece of technology that allowed our fans and supporters to walk around with us. We ran into a fan on the street wearing a FREE MARC shirt, she goes by Holy Hemptress; then we saw the Oaksterdam tour vehicle, an old-fashioned bandwagon with Prop 19 signs all over it. We continued down the street to the Prop 19 Headquarters, where things were busier than ever in the full swing of Election Day!

Broadcasting live onlineI received a call from Douglas Quan, who wanted to meet to get some information and quotes for his PostMedia story. Jeremiah, Britney and I hung out in the headquarters and showed our online viewers around the area, introducing and interviewing many of the people involved in the campaign. I met with Douglas and we spoke for a while, and he took some photos for his story on Prop 19. My laptop’s Internet connection was interrupted a lot because there were dozens of computers hooked up to the hard-wire, and the wireless was too unreliable with all the people tapping into it, so we began to use the iPhone 4 for more of the broadcasting.

Time was ticking down and people were on every phone, seated around every possible table, making phone calls and tallying the amounts on the wall – “We’ve hit 37,000 phone calls today alone, we can reach 50,000, yes we cannabis!” shouted team members (and they did reach that record by the end of the night). Ed Rosenthal and his wife Jane came by and said hello to our online audience, which was at over 2,000 viewers tuned in well before the 6pm time we had announced it would happen. We got others to give updates too, and reminded people to get out and vote. CBC Power and Politics informed me that they were unable to secure a studio but wanted me to do the live nation-wide show the next day – but I had to turn them down yet again, as I would be flying home at the scheduled time! It definitely bummed me out to miss two great opportunities, but at least I was able to do everything else.

At 6pm we headed for Oaksterdam University, bringing along our online audience via the iPhone 4, where a large projector was being set up to broadcast the election results live on the side of the building outside in the parking lot. Tents and chairs were set up, and we inquired about getting the hard-wire Internet connection and power cords. Because it was so chaotic and the staff were overwhelmed, we were left to figure it out for ourselves; thankfully, some burly guys setting up the lighting with electricity cables had sympathy for our situation and hooked us up with a big power cord to charge our laptops and phones. We took a seat at a table by some lights and used Jeremiah’s iPhone while we figured out how to get Internet. There was wireless from Oaksterdam University but we were unable to get a strong enough signal, so we relied on that iPhone 4 all night! We had been told that we could attend the “VIP” gathering inside, but not with our cameras, so we opted to stay outside.

At 8pm the polls were closed and we were already seeing results come in. Prop 19 was failing right off the bat with under 45% “yes”, and I was immediately concerned. Had the growers and dealers really had such an impact? Would the medical marijuana community – the presumed base of California’s movement – fail to get out and vote “yes”?

NBC news was on hand with a news anchor, and she spoke to me about my involvement in the campaign, and Marc’s imprisonment for selling seeds, and I pointed out that Marc sold millions of seeds to California that helped build the cannabis industry there. Douglas Quan also sat nearby and got regular updates from me for his news stories being sent back home. Jeremiah, Britney and I were surprised that there weren’t more people there to watch the results. There were about 200 or so, but spread over a large area and huddled in groups against the cold that swept in after sunset.

NBC reporter interviewing meThe numbers of viewers on our Cannabis Culture Ustream account kept rising, up to 4,000 at once, but the voting results failed to gain any ground and we had to sadly watch and report as the hours passed by and nothing changed. It was a disappointing end to a magnificent campaign.

After Prop 19 was declared a failure by the media, the projected image changed from the news channel to a camera inside Oaksterdam University, where Richard Lee was on stage prepping to make an announcement. The Prop 19 campaign’s core backers were on stage with him and he thanked everyone for their support. Everyone took turns speaking, led by the campaign spokeswoman Dale, and they enthusiastically thanked the volunteers and staff who had accomplished a final vote of 46% yes – not victory, but an incredible number of Californians who wanted to end prohibition and replace it with a solid, sane model of control and taxation.

Jeremiah, Britney and I said goodnight to our viewers at midnight as the tables were being folded up and the chairs packed away, and we spoke to Richard Lee when he came out to say goodbye to attendees. Feeling sad about the defeat, but still excited by everything that had happened, we walked to our hotel and relaxed while discussing it all. I went to bed and fell asleep right away.

DAY 4 – WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3

I woke up to a phone call from CBC radio “As It Happens”, a major cross-Canada show, and did an interview for them that Marc told me afterward was “absolutely perfect, just wow, great job!” (I played the audio for him over the phone; it’s file number 3 here, and begins after the 7:25 mark.) CKNW radio ran a quote from me, as did News 1130, and after that, Douglas Quan called for an interview we had arranged to discuss the results. I went down to the hotel lobby, where he filmed a quick interview video and took notes for his story.

Jeremiah came down to the lobby and we had breakfast (Britney was too tired) then had to pack up and leave by 11am. I did an interview with the Vancouver Courier, and then another one for the Georgia Straight, so Marc was definitely right when he said that my presence in Oakland for the campaign would get lots of media attention! Even though it was an electoral defeat, there were many smaller accomplishments and steps forward.

It was another brilliantly sunny day, and I was happy to be heading home after such a truly awesome experience in California. We got a cab for the airport, and discussed what had happened, how the so-called “marijuana movement” prohibition profiteers – the growers and some “compassion club” dealers – sided with the police, prisons, evangelicals, cartels, booze companies and others who opposed Prop 19. The cracks that had formed in the movement’s solidarity broke wide open, and sadly, a lot of anger and resentment boiled over throughout the next few days, understandably so. I just hope that these wounds can heal quickly, but it’s hard to say if those who profit from prohibition and the quasi-legal status of medical marijuana are willing to ever vote for a policy that forces them to leave the underground and get legitimate. Time will tell!

Photo by Douglas Quan, PostMedia NewsIt was a phenomenal experience to be at the epicenter of the Proposition 19 campaign, and I am so utterly pleased to have been part of it. We may not have reached victory this time, but the campaign and team in place will not be defeated two years from now, when California or other states have legalization on the ballot! There is no way to turn back everything that has been accomplished. There are too many US states ready for legalization and other progressive drug policy changes including improved medical marijuana legislation and access. I saw for myself the effort and passion behind the Prop 19 election and education campaign, and thank everyone involved for doing such pivotal and essential work. It was an honour to serve beside you all even if just for a couple days! Next time, we’ll all be celebrating victory, and hopefully my husband Marc Emery will be free and at my side to see it happen with me.

Free Marc Emery!
End Prohibition!

Michelle and Jodie, February 2008I cried all day long at our Cannabis Culture Headquarters yesterday, seeing our friends come by to share hugs and try to come to terms with the loss of Michelle Rainey, who succumbed to cancer on Wednesday, October 20th. I couldn't stop the tears and my heart ached. I'm just so sad she really passed away. When I got home, I bawled my eyes out and couldn't stop crying for hours. I'm still crying today.

I feel I don't have appropriate words to express the deep, heartbreaking sadness I feel knowing that Michelle is actually gone, and that her poor husband and mother had to see her go.

Marc will be just as devastated when he finds out, and I dread breaking the news to him in our first phone call from his new prison, whenever he gets phone access... He and I shed tears for Michelle a few times this past month, knowing her health had taken a turn for the worse. We spoke of her often, with sadness, and hoped that her condition would improve. It's deeply upsetting to know we'll never see her again...

Feeling that I needed to take action somehow to stop the tears from flowing, I made a video tribute to pay my respects to Michelle -- and even though we were not close in the last year or two, I have great memories of many fun times we had together in the years prior, and I was proud to have her as my maid of honour at my wedding to Marc, among many other roles she played in my life.

It was a truly special relationship we shared, and I am crushed to know that she kept me and so many friends away in her final days... we tried to reach out, but she wanted to be alone... and though we respect her wishes, we're certainly all very sad that we couldn't say goodbye.

Please watch and share this message of love I put together for a truly brave and passionate woman... I can't believe she's gone, and I will never forget the wonderful times we had.

Rest in Peace, Michy. We all miss you terribly...

With sincere grief and sorrow...
Jodie Emery

http://www.YouTube.com/PotTVNetwork
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7zPIJXlyQk

Visit her website and get her famous "Medicinal" t-shirt at www.MichelleRainey.com

Come upstairs to the BCMP and pay your respects to her beautiful life at 307 West Hastings Street in downtown Vancouver. People welcome starting at 6pm, tribute begins at 7pm.

There have been two recent updates in Marc’s situation. He’s been moved to a new unit in SeaTac FDC in preparation for his transfer to an FCI (US Federal Correctional Institution) because SeaTac FDC is for pre-trial inmates and Marc has been sentenced. He will be shipped out soon, but we don’t know when. However, we do finally know where he'll be: Taft FCI in California.

Taft FCI, CaliforniaMarc said he expected Taft even though he wanted Lompoc (also in California), because Lompoc has “Corrlinks” email messaging, and we both depend on that so much for constant communication all day, every day. But once he’s at Taft, where they don’t have Corrlinks, Marc and I will only get one 10-minute phone call a day, and our visits twice a month. We're still so grateful for the relative closeness, though, because Texas or Mississippi or Georgia, or any of the other options, are much further away.

The other positive aspects are that he’ll be in a Low Security section, which means he will be able to go outside and get sun and fresh air! He’ll also have better selection from commissary, because there are vegetables on the list that he can buy and eat. Taft FCI is a privately-run prison, so the regular daily meals are very poor, but with commissary Marc will be able to have some healthy food. He’s very excited for the prospect of sunlight, fresh air, and fresh food – what precious simple things we all take for granted.

Once Marc arrives at Taft, he’ll be able to submit his application to the US Department of Justice asking for transfer to Canada. The United States and Canada have an agreement called the International Transfer of Offenders Act, and it requires that prisoners be allowed to serve their time at home if approved by the governments of both countries as not being a threat to national security. Canadian citizens also have a Charter of Rights and Freedoms right to come home, under Section 6: Mobility, which allowed Canadian citizens the ability to leave, return to, and stay in Canada.

The US has been approving Canadian prisoner requests as usual, but since 2006 when the Conservative government was elected in Canada, the Conservative Public Safety Ministers have been delaying and rejecting transfer requests. The US recently admonished Canada for failing to hold up their end of the treaty agreement, and even more recently, the federal court in Canada said the Conservatives erred in not bringing back Canadian drug offenders in US prison. So those were both good news!

Marc’s application to the Public Safety Minister was submitted the same day he was sentenced, September 10th. He received confirmation that the Public Safety Minister does have the paperwork, and he can approve it at any time. Please call and write to ask him to approve! For those who are at a loss about what to say, here is a letter you can send if you’re unable to write your own. There's no postage required in Canada!

The US application process is more complicated, and for that reason we need to hire a specialist lawyer who takes care of Canadian prisoner transfer requests. She’s highly recommended and gets the job done, but her bill is going to be $8,500 – so we’re doing a Free Marc Emery Fundraiser with a one-day mega-drive moneybomb to help hire this lawyer and get Marc home to Canada!

Saturday, October 16th is the day we’ve chosen. I sincerely hope people will contribute to this moneybomb fundraiser, because we rely on supporters for the expenses related to this unjust case. Thankfully, because Marc helped so many people with money, seeds, and even just inspiration in the decades he’s been fighting for freedom, we have received such kind messages of support and know that people out there care, and want Marc to be sent home!

The October 16th “Free Marc Emery Moneybomb” will be announced and explained more thoroughly soon at www.CannabisCulture.com. However, if you’d like to donate now in advance of the moneybomb, we are earmarking all donations made online to the legal fees for the US transfer specialist and will include it in the total for the fundraiser moneybomb on Saturday October 16th. You can donate at the Cannabis Culture online store in the FREE MARC section by clicking here.

We believe that the Canadian government has no reason to refuse Marc’s request, and so far the indications have been relatively positive. A few months ago, some supporters met Public Safety Minister Vic Toews and asked him to bring Marc home, and he first said nothing, but then said that he wouldn’t object as long as Marc promised not to break the law anymore (an obvious requirement for transfer, and something Marc has already agreed to, as required at sentencing and for transfer).

More recently, a friend of ours met Toews at an event in Toews’ constituency in Manitoba, and presented him with a neat and tidy information packet about Marc and cannabis facts. Dan Grice asked Toews to bring Marc home, and Toews said he didn’t have a problem with it as long as Marc doesn’t “piss of the Americans” anymore. Here’s the exchange they had, as reported by our friend:

Hi Jodie,

I drove down to Steinback today as Vic Toews was having a BBQ. I put together a small binder with copies of Marc’s court transcript as well as excerpts from prison blog #14. (And some additional articles attached to the back including the Angus Reid poll, California's Prop 19, and the McGill study.)

I talked to him briefly and gave the folder to his constituency assistant. Essentially the exchange was quite pleasant. I introduced myself as a student at his old Alma Mater (Robson Hall/U of M) and wore a Free Marc button so he could see at first who I was. He made a joke (I think it was) about me not smoking up there, but I assured him I had no intention to.

Basically, he told me as long as he could get Marc's assurances he wouldn't piss off the Americans, he had no problem with letting him come back home if the American's approved it. I told him I had copies of Marc's letters giving him his word (I highlighted those passages) and that Marc had made a commitment that he wouldn't engage in anything in the US or Canada.

Toews actually told me he didn't even care what Marc did in Canada, as long as he doesn't get the Americans upset. When I assured him that he had every intention of staying out of civil disobedience and to fulfill his obligations, he nodded approvingly.

Anyways, all the best! And pass this on to Marc if you can.

So that’s a good sign, because Marc will not "piss off" the American government the way he did with his seed sales because he doesn’t plan to sell seeds or break the law again, so he should be able to come home. But we still need support and pressure to make sure Marc gets home! Please write to Vic Toews and the US Justice Department saying that Canadian Marc Emery should be sent home to serve his sentence because American taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for his imprisonment and because he has a Charter and treaty right to return home to do his time close to his family.

Also, please watch and share this video, where I update everyone on YouTube about Marc. It's been so long, but finally, I went over all the news and what's coming up next.

Thank you for the support!
www.FreeMarc.ca

I visited Marc again yesterday, and I get to see him tomorrow morning too. As always, it's wonderful to be together! It's just sad that we're locked into a concrete and steel room, unable to walk around together or kiss beyond the "hello" and "goodbye". But I'm always grateful for what we do have, which is more than many others.

I was saddened to learn that the prison, which does not allow any inmates access to fresh air or sunlight outdoors, has started to block out the windows of the facility. The cells have windows, but they are very, very narrow, so only a sliver of sunlight makes its way in -- and only to some cells. For example, Marc's cell window faces a brick wall, so he never sees sunlight. Now, for whatever reason (the desire to just punish inmates even more?), the warden has determined that all windows must be coated with a fog, or speckled, layer so the inmates cannot see the trees or skyline or anything outside.

And the crackdowns have gotten worse, perhaps with the change in staff. Prison employees are made to change their location/job in the prison system every few months, partly so they don't go crazy being in such a hellish place, but also to prevent any kind of relationships or connections developing between staff and prisoners. I suppose they do that to stop prisoners from getting preferential treatment from the guards who are friendlier or not as rude and aggressive. But it's sad that the new staff in the mail room are now confiscating mail that was previously getting through, such as newspaper clippings (which are supposed to be allowed, one clipping per envelope) and printouts from the Internet, like Facebook and news websites.

One of the inmates in Marc's unit recently lost three of his children in a house fire that his wife and one other child managed to escape. It was a seriously tragic loss and he has had a hard time coming to terms with it. He's in prison for a drug offense. Just the other day, he lost his commissary access because he had two pieces of bread and one cookie in his cell! So, because of that "offense", he cannot purchase food items or hygiene items from the commissary. For bread and a cookie! How cruel can prison be? Oh, much worse, I know. But it's depressing to think how gleefully the prison staff inflict suffering upon prisoners. Marc himself cannot use commissary for two months simply because I sent money to his cellmate's commissary account, which is not against the rules. His cellmate is not allowed to use commissary for one month either! Why is the prison so cruel?

In fact, prisons are not supposed to inflict extra punishment on prisoners unless 1) they are causing harm to themselves or others, or 2) they are trying to escape or cause destruction to the facility. When someone commits a crime and is caught, they are sent to prison AS the punishment, not FOR extra punishment. Being locked away from society, friends, loved ones, freedom, and choices IS the punishment -- the prison is not supposed to arbitrarily issue extra punishment for made-up violations. But they do, all the time...

I've been doing a lot of reading of Bureau of Prisons documents and court cases and other materials, trying to make sure that Marc and others are not being illegally deprived or abused in any way. It's a complicated thing, learning the rules of a foreign system in a foreign country. Marc should not be in the US federal prison system! That's why our main goal is to have him transfered home to Canada. If you haven't yet written a letter to the Public Safety Minister of Canada, or the United States Department of Justice, please do:

#1 CONTACT CANADA'S PUBLIC SAFETY MINISTER

The Canadian Minister of Public Safety is Vic Toews (pronounced "Taves"). Please contact Mr. Toews and tell him that you want him to support Marc's prison transfer back to serve his sentence in Canada. Be polite and respectful – but very firm – when contacting Vic Toews office. The best way is to write and send a letter to Vic Toews, postage free for Canadians. Write your own, or use the Repatriate Marc Emery letter we've prepared – however, personal messages are best.

The Hon. Vic Toews
Parliament Hill
Suite 306, House of Commons Justice Building
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A6
Canada

You can also call Vic Toews office at: 204-326-9889 and 613-992-3128
Vic Toews can be reached by email at: Toews.V@parl.gc.ca and toewsv1@mts.net

#2 CONTACT THE US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Ask that Marc Emery's transfer request be approved so he can serve his time in his home country of Canada, and save the United States the cost of incarcerating him. Mail may be sent to:

U.S. Department of Justice
Criminal Division, Office of Enforcement Operations
International Prisoner Transfer Program
JCK Building, 12th Floor
Washington, DC
20530
USA

These two ways to help are among many listed at www.FreeMarc.ca – please spread the website address far and wide so supporters take part in helping to bring Marc home!

SeaTac FDC, Marc's current prisonToday Marc was punished with two months of no commissary (food, shampoo, soap, stamps, etc.) and his cellmate for one month because I gave his cellmate money! Apparently it's against the rules even though it's not in the rule book. Marc was staying healthy eating nuts, trail mix, and tuna and turkey packets from commissary, now he has to "survive" on meals like peanut butter, bread, and rice.

I'm so disappointed and angry. I have sent money and books to different inmates before, there's no rule against it. Marc had two hearings with the Lieutenants of the prison and one was really mean, while the second was less so, but they decided that the appropriate punishment for Marc was two months of no commissary.

When Marc was first called to see the Lieutenant last week, the Lt. was being extremely rude, aggressive, and even threatening. He said that he reads all of Marc's emails and letters and listens to all of his phone calls, and that he didn't approve of the chapter Marc wrote about what it's like going to prison (for Barry Cooper's upcoming book) and that he thought it was "bullshit". Marc didn't even criticize the prison! He just objectively wrote about the process of it, and of course he said the food was dismal, but that's the truth!

So the Lt. was pissed off about what Marc was writing, but that's not against the rules. So he said that it was against the rules for me to send money into Marc's cellmate's account, even though that's not in the rule book either! They decided to ensure that they both suffer because of my generosity, which I pass on from the people who give it to me.

I'm furious and concerned, because Marc was able to stay healthy eating the nuts and other food items from commissary, and get the soap and toothpaste and razors and stamps he needed... he's lost weight in prison but up until now he still looks healthy, but I'm worried about what this deprivation will do to him. I don't know how anyone can survive on the substandard, non-nutritious meals prisoners are forced to eat! Potatoes, bread and beans as a regular meal is so unhealthy. I really hope Marc is able to stay in good shape but he's quite concerned too.

We really need to get Marc home. The application on the Canadian side is done; Marc's forms were taken to the Canadian Consulate in Seattle after he was sentenced, and they confirmed that it was delivered to Ottawa, so Public Safety Minister Vic Toews can sign and approve it at any time. He's been receiving emails, letters, and phone calls from thousands of people, and we need that pressure to continue. There is no reason to refuse Marc's return to Canada; in fact, it's required by our Charter of Rights and Freedoms (section 6: Mobility, guarantees Canadian citizens' right to enter, leave, and remain in Canada) and the International Transfer of Offenders Act that Canada signed with the Untied States, which allows prisoners to be sent to their home country to serve their sentences.

Here is a letter that you can send to the Public Safety Minister, asking him to approve Marc's transfer home. Please copy it and sign it, or download the PDF here, and mail it for free (if you're Canadian). You should try to add your own words and thoughts to make it more personal, but hopefully having this available will encourage more people to contact the Public Safety Minister and the United States government asking for Marc's transfer application to be approved!

To the Honourable Minister Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety
Parliament Hill
Suite 306, Justice Building
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON  
K1A 0A6

Marc Scott Emery is a Canadian citizen recently sentenced in the United States to five years for distribution of cannabis seeds (the official charge is 'manufacture of marijuana'). Mr. Emery has requested his repatriation to the Canadian Corrections system through the International Transfer of Offenders Act.

In your position as Minister of Public Safety, it is your decision whether to allow Mr. Marc Emery to return home and serve out his sentence in Canada. The International Transfer of Offenders Act and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms require that you consider certain factors in coming to your decision.

As you know, the purpose of the Act is to "contribute to the administration of justice and the rehabilitation of offenders and their reintegration into the community” by enabling them to serve their sentences in the country of which they are citizens or nationals, and Section 6 of the Charter protects Canadian citizens’ ability to leave, enter, and remain in Canada.

Considering that Mr. Emery is not a threat to Canada's security, that he has always abided by all bail conditions during the five years he was awaiting extradition, and that he has pledged to never re-offend or violate his conditions of parole once released from a correctional institution, it would be unreasonable and unjust to deny Mr. Emery a transfer to his home country of Canada.

I urge you to approve Mr. Emery’s transfer application as soon as possible so he can be repatriated and serve his time in the Canadian correctional system.

Sincerely,
Signature: ___________________________
Name: ______________________________
Address: _____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
Date: ________________________________

We are also hiring a US based specialist who does the American portion of the treaty transfer applications, because it's a more complicated process than the Canadian application. Marc can't file his application until he arrives at his final facility (we're praying it's Lompoc FCI in California, and not somewhere in Mississippi, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, or Ohio). That will likely happen in the next four to six weeks, or whenever they decide to move him. Once he arrives, he can submit his US application -- but it needs to be filed by someone who knows what they're doing. The application is then reviewed by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the State Department. It's a process that we need professional assistance for, and the bill is $8,500.

My store can put money aside over time, but we don't really have much to spare. Our friend is planning a one-day "money bomb" to fundraise for this important expense, and but many people offer to send donations to me for Marc's commissary or for my travel, but instead we would appreciate it if you can send money to our legal fund! You can donate through the Cannabis Culture online store by clicking here.

All donation money goes to the lawyer to help bring Marc home! If you'd prefer to send contributions through the mail, please make it out to our corporate name "0883467 BC Ltd." or "Jodie Emery" and I will ensure it gets to our lawyer. There's nothing I want more than to get Marc back in my arms here at home!

Please contact the Public Safety Minister of Canada (no postage required in Canada!) and the US Justice Department, and ask them to let Marc serve his sentence in Canada!

The Hon. Vic Toews
Parliament Hill
Suite 306, House of Commons Justice Building
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A6
Canada
204-326-9889
613-992-3128
Toews.V@parl.gc.ca
toewsv1@mts.net

U.S. Department of Justice
Criminal Division, Office of Enforcement Operations
International Prisoner Transfer Program
JCK Building, 12th Floor
Washington, DC
20530
USA
202-514-3173

Yesterday I had a wonderful visit with Marc. Our visits are almost always positive and enjoyable, save for a few times when the stress of the situation made one or both of us sensitive and emotional. Prison is a very difficult place to be, and Marc remains as positive as he can. Seeing each other is the highlight of our lives and keeps us both going.

It's sad to think of the suffering endured by so many prisoners and their families. One inmate recently lost three of his children in a house fire that his wife barely escaped. He can hardly find the will to live, and I can't imagine his pain, but I can understand why he would feel that way. Another was a successful legal businessman charged with conspiracy after some associates did something illegal with the money they were managing (unbeknown to him), and his own long-term wife was working as an informant to save herself from being drawn in, so since then his life has fallen apart and she wants to divorce him, but keeps playing with his heart. How cruel and distressing! And it's not just inmates who suffer -- one woman discovered that her husband of over 20 years had been secretly robbing banks and living a double life, then he got busted to her shock and horror! Needless to say, that was extraordinarily difficult for her and their children to find out, and it is still very challenging having the father gone.

But that's just a sampling of the pain and lives of the people behind bars. Marc and I are so deeply grateful that our relationship is completely honest, and that we're so strongly connected in many ways, including our life goal to end prohibition and bring liberty to the people! Not many prison partnerships have a solid foundation and sense of complete devotion. So many are angry, jealous, sick, depressed, stressed, and enduring so many burdens and personal problems. Every day I am grateful for the support Marc and I receive, which enables us to stay strong most of the time -- because there are definitely times when we are weak. But we'll get through it. We have so much love and support in our lives, and neither of us ever complain or give in to self-pity because we know how blessed we are.

The proof of Marc's support was demonstrated on Saturday, September 18th when people in over 93 cities all over the world held rallies, marches and individual actions on behalf of Marc, calling for him to be brought home to Canada and set free! It was really impressive, and the fourth time we have held worldwide rallies for Marc (the first was on September 10th, 2005, the second on September 19th, 2009, and the third on May 22nd, 2010). We have videos and photos from cities all over the world, which you can see here at Cannabis Culture, and on Marc's Facebook profile here, and fan page here.

I joined activists in downtown Seattle, since I had visited Marc that morning. Between ten and twenty of us stood on an overpass above Interstate 5 from noon until 4pm (though I only made it at 1pm), waving "Free Marc" signs next to the big "FREE MARC EMERY" banners hung over the sides of the bridge. It was supposed to rain all day, but the sun came out instead!

It was such a pleasant day and we got a lot of honking from cars on the overpass we were on and the giant Interstate 5 below us. There were banners and people on both sides of the bridge to ensure the message was seen in each direction. If you took part in the worldwide rallies and have photos, video, or news of your event, please email it to Jeremiah@cannabisculture.com and nationaldirector@endprohibition.ca so we can share them on our websites www.CannabisCulture.com and www.FreeMarc.ca!

I'm grateful Don Skakie of Sensible Washington organized the Seattle demonstration, and thank John Davis (and his adorable daughter Madison) for picking me up in SeaTac and driving me downtown. Many thanks to everyone who joined us throughout the day! I really enjoyed having dinner afterward and discussing politics and cannabis law reform. I managed to shock my American friends with the news of how backwards Canada has become; I told them all about our evangelical, theocratic, anti-democratic Conservative government and the multi-billion dollar mega prison industry and war on cannabis. With me sharing that depressing and distressing news about Canada, it was great to hear about the optimism for serious reform and the end of prohibition in the United States, with the ballot initiatives, recent drug war converts (such as John McKay), and the constantly-growing cannabis economy that has become so big it cannot be reversed -- the Government has been Overgrown! What a change from five years ago when Marc was arrested in Canada by the DEA!

Sadly, we Canadians are suffering the wrath of a George W. Bush-esque, ultra-controlling, arrogant, warmongering government that is fighting foreign wars and killing innocents abroad, expanding the military and police state at home, building an inhumane and costly prison industry, destroying the environment and selling out to oil money, muzzling and expelling officials who refuse to just stay silent and obey orders, dismantling civil liberties and freedoms, and recklessly plunging our country into record debt and deficits -- just to name a few of the abhorrent actions of Harper's government.

We need to have an election and get rid of this Harper nightmare for the sake of our friends, families, and future generations. I am so eager to see the reforms and progress in the United States, and find it heartbreaking that Canada has reversed our positive leadership in drug policy changes and is now hurting people instead of helping them. I'll be running as a federal Green Party candidate, and I'm so ready to speak truth to power and let government know what the people really want!

End prohibition, stop Stephen Harper!

Sick and tired of democracy? Vote Conservative!

On Friday, September 10th, my husband Marc Emery was sentenced to five years in US federal prison for selling cannabis seeds through the mail to Americans from Canada. Marc had agreed to a five-year sentence in his plea deal, knowing that going to trial would result in 30 years to life behind bars.

Marc promised to refrain from using civil disobedience again, even though he has been very successful with the strategy for decades and various causes, but he also told the judge and the court that cannabis prohibition is a failure that harms both of our countries and violates our constitutions. His speech to the court was impressive; the transcript will soon be received from the court and shared online so people can see exactly what was said.

The judge commented that he "received hundreds of letters and emails, most of them favorable to you... well-written, very thoughtful, making some very interesting points". He expressed sympathy for Marc, acknowledging that five years is a very long time, and wishing Marc well. When has a judge ever wished a "criminal" well after sentencing? The prosecution tried to say it was not a politically motivated case, but Marc's lawyer brought up the DEA press release that mentioned only his legalization efforts and never seeds, and said "on this record, no one can or should take the government seriously when it claims that this case was not politically motivated".

The judge knows that prohibition is a failure, but he also must hand down punishment for law-breakers, as that is his job. Marc admitted that he broke the law, but did so with good intentions and to help demonstrate that prohibition is unjust and ineffective. The judge accepted Marc's comments, and recommended that Marc be transfered to Canada to serve his sentence. However, the recommendation is not binding, so we still need our supporters to contact the Canadian and US governments and tell them to let Marc serve his sentence in Canada! Please click here to help!

Civil disobedience is the most successful method of repealing bad laws. Marc's thirty-year history of civil disobedience -- opening his bookstore illegally on Sundays, operating a garbage pick-up service during a strike, selling banned books and music, publicly using cannabis and selling seeds -- has set an example for others to follow, and builds on the success of historical civil disobedience, including Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on the bus, Gandhi collecting salt from the sea, and Canadians and Americans smuggling slaves out of the USA. Bad laws are only ever repealed when people refuse to obey them. In many ways, Marc was extremely successful. But with civil disobedience, one must accept the punishment that comes with it; thus, Marc plead guilty (he never tried to run away from what he did) and accepted the five-year sentence.

Even though Marc, as a requirement for being transfered to Canada, renounced civil disobedience because he cannot continue to break the law or counsel others to break the law, it is very clear that people who stand up against bad laws and injustice are freedom fighters of the most virtuous and courageous sort.

That brings me to Betty Krawczyk, an amazing 82-year-old peaceful, non-violent environmental activist in BC. She is appearing in court this Wednesday, September 22nd to appeal her sentence of 10 months, which she already served. In 2007, Betty campaigned against environmentally destructive highway construction on the beautiful coast of West Vancouver, where the Eagleridge Bluffs were blown apart to build a wider highway in expectation of the Olympics. She never hurt anyone, and simply camped out and blocked machinery, but was hauled off and imprisoned for ten months. Now, Betty is back in court.

Update, Monday September 20th: A reporter friend of mine clarified for me what's happening in Betty's case:

"Betty has already served the 10-month sentence imposed by Justice Brown for her fifth contempt conviction in 2007. She's appealing, not the Crown. The cases show what has happened to offenders facing a similar number of contempt citations to underscore the legal gravity of her offence. The appeal court would not replace a 10-month sentence with life imprisonment."

With that in mind, I have modified this blog post to remove the accusations against the government, as they are not actively seeking to lock Betty up for life. - Jodie

Marc ran for mayor of Vancouver in 2008 and came in fourth-place behind Betty, so we have met her before and know she is a kind, gentle soul who only gets angry when talking about the horrific acts of government and corporations against the environment and freedom. Her courageous acts of civil disobedience have inspired many people, for many years, and she deserves support. Please join me at the Criminal and Appeals Court in downtown Vancouver on Wednesday to stand beside Betty and demand that she not be imprisoned for her relentless, peaceful activism!

Betty Krawczyk court appearance and rally
September 22, 2010
Criminal and Appeals Court, 800 Smithe St.
Rally at 9:30am on the back steps of the courthouse (Howe and Robson Streets)
Court at 10:00am
Click here for the Facebook event page and more information

You can read more about Betty and her case at her blog here.

No Prison for Peaceful Protest!

Marc and Jodie: July 4th prison photoToday I got photos from Marc in prison! They were taken during our visit on July 4th, when inmates can buy photographs of themselves with family. We had to choose one of four painted walls as the backdrop, so we picked the Seattle skyline at night.

I was so pleased to get these photos in the mail, and share them on Facebook so people can see how Marc looks and what his inmate clothes are like. This is the first glimpse of Marc in US federal prison for everyone but me and his lawyers. He has lost weight, but he eats everything he can.

I was also pleased to see an LTE (letter to the editor) by me printed today in the Calgary Sun! It was the first submission I've sent in a long time, and it was published, as my letters often are, so I'm reminded to keep writing! It was in response to a great column – one of many recent ones in Canada – about how the Canadian government's prison plans doesn't match the crime statistics.

Here is my letter:

Re: Call for prisons, Aug. 9: Dave Breakenridge writes "for someone to go to jail, people need to report the crime, a suspect has to be arrested, tried and convicted." Not quite, at least not with the modified definition of "serious crime" announced by the Conservative government.

Under the changes, any amount of cannabis grown or sold is now a "serious crime", which allows the police to use their "organized crime" tool box, without court permission, and asset forfeiture without needing a conviction. Cops won't need more people reporting crimes. They will simply spy on anyone they believe to be growing or selling any amount of pot, arrest them, seize their property, then deny them bail -- all without due process normally applied to regular citizens.

So don't be mystified about who will fill those new prison cells; it'll be your friends and family who use even a little bit of cannabis on weekends, because they are now guilty of a "serious crime."

JODIE EMERY
VANCOUVER

(Drug policy is a mess. - Calgary Sun editorial comment)

So that was good to see! Marc was also very pleased with it. I used to read the newspapers (Vancouver Sun, The Province, National Post, and Globe & Mail) every morning while Marc slept in, and I would often write a letter to at least one paper every other day. It's been a while, so it's nice to know that my first LTE in a few months was printed!

Additionally, on August 9th the Vancouver Sun had an article on "smart meter" technology and how it will help police detect grow-ops. I was contacted by the journalist to give my perspective on it, and I send my response – and I was quoted word-for-word:

Advocates of legalizing marijuana, meanwhile, think the grow operations most likely to be detected by the new meter technology are family enterprises.

"Prohibition breeds creativity for getting around obstacles and law enforcement, so there will be ways for large-scale growers to go undetected," Jodie Emery said in an e-mail.

Emery's husband is Marc Emery, an outspoken advocate of pot legalization now serving five years in a U.S. penitentiary for a mail order business that shipped marijuana seeds from Canada to the United States.

"They can just get generators, or buy entire gas stations (as we've seen done in the past), or use new LED lighting technology, or grow smaller crops in more locations, which actually spreads the problem out and makes it harder to detect," Jodie Emery said.

"The most dangerous aspect of the smart meter program is that it means small-scale, mom-and-pop indoor gardens will be more likely to be shut down, whereas organized crime can afford the techniques and technology to avoid detection (in the ways I outlined above). So it puts more of the cannabis market into the hands of gangs, and out of small-scale personal gardeners.

"No matter what BC Hydro does with smart meters, grow ops will never go away unless cannabis prohibition ends."

My comments there were the final words in the article, so I feel good about getting the truth out! My fight is not only to bring my husband home, but also to end prohibition so every drug war prisoner can go home to their loved ones.

www.FreeMarc.ca

Marc and Jodie: July 4th prison photo

Marc and Jodie: July 4th prison photo

Marc and Jodie: July 4th prison photo

Marc and Jodie: July 4th prison photo