For years now, Vancouver has been treated by locals and non-locals alike as a refuge of sorts for pot smokers of all ilkes... however, with the recent involvement of the DEA, Texas Rangers and the stepping up of Americas 'War on Drugs'..(which of course really means 'War on Marijuana') i'm wondering whether the heavy hand of American law is going to further tighten it's grasp around Canada's evolving drug policy... Anyone have any info on ways that American law has disrupted the scene happening here? I know namely of the instances of the arrest of Marc Emery, leader of the Marijuana Party and owner of Emery Seeds... and... The stopping of an off duty police officer by a Texas State Trooper, who accused the off duty officer of being high on pot... what other stories are flying around out there? For you Americans, how has the media been portraying Vancouver's pot scene? (if at all?) Canada's mainstream media has so far been surprisingly sympathetic to the pot scene here.
American mainstream media avoids almost all mention of pot in a positive light, and politicians are unwilling to consider anything other than the party line as they don't want to be seen as soft on drugs. You will only seen marijuana mentioned positively in alternative media. Although Hollywood stereotypes users, they do often put a positive spin on it. The DEA has always tried to alter other countries drug policies, and often corrupted them in the process. You'll know your country has been screwed by the US when your leaders show obvious signs of corruption at around the same time they toughen the drugs policies (gee has that been happening???)
Well, time will tell i suppose... Canada has been throwing around the idea of marijuana decrim for years now and it seems like whenever things could get moving we're threatened with trade sanctions/taxes, border disruptions, or any other method that will effectively burden Canada's economic well-being. The former Mayor of Vancouver was outspoken about decriminilizing marijuana, and at about the same time is when the DEA came and set up an office here...definately no coincidence.
We should not be standing for this. It's so easy to use drugs as an excuse to control what you want, cause no one wants to challenge drugs....kinda like Isreal....OH, did I say that.........anyway, this is a direct attack on the sovereignty of our nation, and Marc Emery is absolutely right when he says that this should be alarming to al Canadians. It's not an issue of pot. I was trying to upload a poster here, but I'm apparently too computer illiterate to do it, so basically it just says that tehre is going to be a big rally in Toronto, Vancouver and Halifax on Sept. 10th at 3pm. The on e in Toronto is at 360 University Avenue. Everyone should come out. Remember, it's not about pot. It's about of freedoms from becoming a global race of Yankees. There is mention of Canada somewhere concerning this topic. An RCMP investigation which ended suddenly and inexplicably. They must have stumbled on something....the truth maybe..... http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/index.shtml#promis
Great link, thanks. I'll be at the protest today in Van... you're absolutely right and i'm happy to say that lots of people ARE jumping on board against this erosion of Canadian sovereignty. The Vancouver Sun has done a hugely sympathetic piece on the issue and it does seem to be spilling into the mainstream and has become a civil liberties/political/sovereignty issue and not just a drug issue.
The idea is now reflected in the Criminal Code of Canada, marijuana has been decriminalised (decriminalisation is not the same as legalisation). Posession under 30g is no longer a criminal act but an illegal act comparable with underage drinking or J walking, you'll get a ticket and pay a fine, but it won't result in a criminal record or jail time. However this was all part of a legislative package which also doubled sentencing times for growing and trafficing. Complete legalisation is still a very real possibility, the senate has recomended it and it was actuallty a topic of discussion at the recent bi-anual liberal party convention. PS, spooner, your a tool, shit like that shouldn't even be joked about
Yeah Spooner, the day an american arrests you in your hometown should be the day you devote your time to bringing down archaic laws that allow that type of thing to happen. In my experience, 'most' cops, especially rural cops, are for the most part normal people following orders... it shouldn't be the cops that you strike against, set your sights a little higher, metaphorically of course. Yes Yovo, it does seem like things are slowly progressing but personally, the legislation that introduced decrim under 30g seemed like a tightening of the restrictions, not a liberalizing... the problem is that with the ability of cops to write a ticket, it has become far easier to enforce laws on pot smokers. Whereas before a cop wouldn't bother stopping you if you were smoking a joint because it was too much hassle for them to fill out all the paperwork and too expensive for you to go through the legal/court system... now, pot smokers have become an easy source of revenue for the government...so much ease in stopping someone, searching them (yes, you can still be fully searched and hand cuffed for smoking a joint or possessing!) and writing them a $100-$300 ticket. Personally, i preferred the old method because if you did get caught and went before a judge, it was quite OBVIOUS that the whole charade was rather silly... i'd much rather COST the government money for the hassle! I'm not entirely sure whether we've moved forwards or backwards...??? I'm still confident that with time, things will get better but in the back of my mind i'm somewhat pessimistic. I imagine that it will become more a matter of lack of enforcement rather than legislation which will bring about the liberalized attitude towards pot. I still believe that the biggest hurdles Canada faces in liberalizing it's pot laws are: the conservative/religious pressure... and of course, American threats of 'trade disruption'...etc... I wasn't aware that it was discussed at the liberal convention though...?? Any link for some more info on that?
