Don't Fear The Reefer

[Ganjarden]

Legalizing marijuana would help put criminals out of business.

So says Josh Dawson, a University of Western Ontario student originally from Brigden, who is leading a rally at the courthouse in downtown London, today at 2 p. m.

The 24-year-old is speaking out against Canadian marijuana laws while raising awareness about Marc Emery, a former London man who is facing extradition to the United States for distributing marijuana seeds.

"If we legalize marijuana it would stop the funds that are going into the black market," Dawson said. "As soon as you prohibit something, you make that substance very profitable to those that can get away with selling it."

Similar rallies are also scheduled across Canada, in the United States, Europe and South Africa.

Marc Emery helped found the British Columbia Marijuana Party, is the online publisher of Cannabis Culture, Marijuana Magazine and has actively fought to legalize marijuana for years.

He's planning to plead guilty to conspiracy to manufacture marijuana for selling marijuana seeds to Americans, Sept. 28, in a federal court in Seattle.

He's turning himself in rather than facing extradition charges and is expected to spend five years in jail.

Deemed the "Prince of Pot" Emery was arrested in 2005 and has been fighting to serve his sentence in Canada.

"He's being targetted for political reasons," Dawson said. "There are hundreds of seed sellers that operate freely in Canada and we don't target them basically because they're not putting their money back into the marijuana movement."

A February article written by Emery's wife, Jodie says he spent more than $4 million between 1995 and 2005 on activism, ballot initiatives, drug addiction clinics and other aspects of the marijuana movement.

Const. Bill Baines with the Sarnia Police Service said traditionally police have opposed the decriminalization of marijuana.

"We're dealing with drivers impaired by alcohol on a regular basis and if we decriminalize or legalize marijuana, does that increase the number of drivers that are using the product and then getting behind the wheel of a car?" he said.

Those with an addiction may also turn to crime to support their addiction, he said.

"To say it's a victimless crime is very far from the truth."

Dawson said other than raising awareness, the rally will motivate people to help bring Emery back to Canada.

"A Canadian citizen is being sent to the United States when he hasn't been charged in Canada," he said.

"I need people to be calling our Minister of Justice to be telling him it's critical we have Marc Emery transferred back to a Canadian prison as soon as possible."


News Hawk- Ganjarden 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: The Sarnia Observer
Author: TYLER KULA
Contact: The Sarnia Observer
Copyright: 2009 , Sun Media
Website: Don't fear the Reefer

 

[Caber1]

Through out my life I have come to hate authority more and more.

I was born a Libra supposedly,(don't believe that crap) and because of it I seem to always look at both sides of the story or subject. I've always found this to be an interesting way to understand the other side. The only thing is that you have to have the truth on both sides to really come to a proper conclusion.

Const. Bill Baines with the Sarnia Police Service said traditionally police have opposed the decriminalization of marijuana.

"We're dealing with drivers impaired by alcohol on a regular basis and if we decriminalize or legalize marijuana, does that increase the number of drivers that are using the product and then getting behind the wheel of a car?" he said.

Those with an addiction may also turn to crime to support their addiction, he said.

"To say it's a victimless crime is very far from the truth."

On the first point, yes they have always opposed decriminalization because 1) most of them can't think for themselves and they are so used to parroting what the bosses say so that they are always part of the gang.(Yes I do think of cops as just another gang. Look at the way they treat people.been tasered yet for just asking for your rights?)
2)Because the decriminalization of pot will lead to the downsizing of many a police force.

On the second point it has been proven conclusively and without a doubt that use in countries where the law allows it has shown a decrease in use.(seems those cops can never find those studies. Is it because they can't read or because they are such superlative liars?)
As it is there are already millions of cannabis users and I have never heard of an epidemic of impaired drivers linked to pot. (are the police lying once again? Hard to believe from these holier than thou.)

On the third point. Considering that yet many more studies have proven beyond a shadow of doubt that pot is not addictive, you would think that the author of said article would ask this bozo (not very nice to call this cop a bozo you say. what do you think he calls you?) where he gets his so called stats.
If pot were legalized he wouldn't have to turn to crime because the price would come down substantially and he could always just grow his own.
And also because of of legalization he wouldn't be considered a criminal anymore and if he had trouble functioning he could always turn to medical help, which is a much more compassionate way of dealing with problems.(cops have a real hard time with that compassion word.)
Just once I'd like to see the press do more than just parrot the words of these people. Otherwise it makes them look as stupid as the source.
Hmmmm, maybe they are.

 

[aninnymouse]

There are a few very simple things that people are not aware of, with respect the police and the court system in North America, and perhaps elsewhere.

1) You are guilty until proven innocent. This is the REALITY. The story about being innocent until proven guilty ONLY applies under common law, and common law is not practised under Admiralty, or Corporate, or COMMERCIAL law.

I learned this first hand a year ago when I was ticketed for "failure to provide proof of ownership and insurance", after providing proof of ownership and insurance to the cop that nearly rear-ended me because he was speeding in town. If I did NOT have a witness in court, I would have been proven GUILTY in court, even though the officer ADMITTED that he DID receive the documents as requested, and within 60 seconds of his asking for them!!!

The biggest crime syndicate in North America has simply changed uniform, in my opinion, and is preying on the ignorant and the wilfully ignorant.

2) I know from first hand experience that cannabis is NOT addictive from a trip I took to Jamaica many years back. While there, I smoked regularly, and the rastas laughed at my reaction to the incredibly strong ganga they were so used to...but I wasn't. (It was funny...NOW.)

The ONLY effect I noticed after I got home was that within about 3-4 weeks after the trip, my night vision went back to what it was before I'd left. During the trip, and for two to three weeks after I got back home, I noticed a definite change on my ability to see more clearly at night.

Nope. Didn't start "hunting dealers" to "get my fix." Didn't try anything else "that might be better." ZERO withdrawal symptoms. Never touched it for 20 years afterwards, actually, and never once did I have anything akin to even a "craving" let alone a dependency!

Anyone who tells you cannabis is addictive is either woefully uneducated, willfully ignorant, or a bold-faced LIAR.

Even it it WAS addictive, how bad could being "addicted" to a substance that your body uses to repair and replenish itself really be? It'd probably be akin to being "addicted to chicken" or "hooked on the steak" or maybe even "a slave to the salad?"

Now I heard some idiot talking about cannbis as a "gateway drug" at the coffee shop the other day, and while I stifled the desire to beat some sense into him, the fact is--and any HONEST cop will agree--that the only way that cannabis can be said to be a "gateway drug" is due to the fact that, since cannabis is currently illegal and shares the same penalties as her*oin, coc*aine, and TRULY dangerous compounds, but the profit potential is far higher for the other compounds, many "drug dealers" carry whatever they can get their hands on. Their sole motivation, of course, being profit.

Logic dictates that if anyone who wanted cannabis could just grow their own, this would no longer be as lucrative a market, and many would drop out of the business.

Those who stayed in the business would be easier to catch, since they would then have to trade in larger volumes to make their profits, and with larger physical transfers of product come far larger risks, and far larger penalties.

The best possible solution is to simply legalize cannabis and get it out of the hands of criminals. Once it is in the hands of responsible adults, we might even be able to get it out of our high schools and grade schools...and if there is anyone out there that doesn't believe that it's in our schools TODAY, I'll tell you from personal knowledge that there are TWO high schools where I live, one is the one I went to many years ago, and the other is a catholic high school founded about a decade back. Whatever you want, you can find it without any difficulty at either school. Why? Because it's totally uncontrolled...and that, my friends, is the truth of the matter.

If cannabis is made legal once more, police can't take your money. They can't take your car. They can't take your home. They can't justify a lot of their actions! They also wouldn't be able to say how dangerous cannabis is, because people would have simply tried and and either decided "Hey, this isn't that bad..." or "Ya know...I don't much care for it, myself." and THE FARCE WOULD BE OVER!

Cannabis being illegal, in my opinion, is about as intelligent as getting a ticket for not using a turn signal at 4:AM on a country road without another car in sight. There has to come a time when you realize that the truth of the matter is, when noone is being hurt, there is no crime being comitted...it really is that simple!