The problem, is not the charge. Like it or not the US Justice System are Debbie Downers when it comes to weed. Nope, the Prince of Pot, despite his beliefs (most of which I also believe) got caught (allegedly) selling marijuana seeds to American customers. He broke their law (maybe) and if so, well he deserves to be punished. No, my problem is not that Marc Emery might have broken an American law, not at all. My problem lies not only in the length of sentence he might face, but the fact that he is being used as a symbol in the War on Drugs (something he himself would never shy away from, just saying). A war that makes the War in Iraq look like the Panama invasion. A bigger waste of cash or lives you will never find. Thank you Ron and Nancy Reagan.
Emery embraces his notoriety. You don't get to be called the "Prince of Pot" if you are a weekend warrior. Emery is the public face of the legalization movement, and good on him. The thing is, the US is having none of it. That hopey changey thing hasn't reached for the bong yet. Obama inhaled, but he is bogarting any new efforts of legalization.
It is because of his notoriety and because of his bravado, that I fear that the US Justice System is going to throw the book at him if his extradition is allowed to proceed. Yes, he broke the law, so yes he should be punished. But should we allow a Canadian citizen to be excessively punished, especially for something that is on such fuzzy legal ground as anything involving marijuana? Marc Emery may become an even larger symbol for change, but at what cost? Would his extradition and conviction become precedent? Would it allow the US to stretch it's sticky War on Drugs tentacles, and its judicial will even further? Canada, despite the fact that its Prime Minister and ruling government are anti-pot (they are the types you'd never invite to a party), has much more liberal marijuana laws. I am against extraditing Marc Emery to the US, not because I feel he hasn't broken any laws, he has, but because he faces excessive punishment. Marc Emery is not a terrorist, a murderer, or a rapist. He is a very vocal pot advocate, one that loves to be in the public eye. He is not however, a menace to society. His crimes, in the eyes of most Canadians are minimal. Unless the US Judicial system tries him and punishes him under Canadian laws, he should not be extradited. Ban him from the US, sure, forbid him to do business in the US, why not? But the selling of a few million pot seeds is not a heinous crime in Canadian eyes. He does not deserve the anywhere from 5 to 20 years jail time if convicted.
This whole thing is the last gasp of a failed War on Drugs. A war that is far more criminal than the mind 'crimes' it is supposed to combat. Don't let Marc Emery be yet another victim. Stop his extradition. Free Marc Emery!
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