Free Marc Emery

More on Marc Emery. His supporters have started a petition drive. There's only 500 names so far. Show your support for our brethren up north and sign here.

Reverend Damuzi posts an excellent article on Cannabis Culture analyzing the reasons this travesty could have occurred despite the formerly enlightened attitude towards cannabis by the Canadian government as late as last summer. The Rev makes a particularly good point on the contradictions of this war on consumers of plants.

A perfect example of this propaganda is the drug-war myth that cannabis and other euphorant, medicinal plants are destroying the environment. Meanwhile, in an attempt to kill these very plants, thousands of pounds of rainforest-decimating toxic chemicals are sprayed over vast tracts by government contractors, wiping out food crops, native plants, and dozens of species - killing human children quickly but letting their parents linger a little longer as guinea pigs for potential future cancer research.

In the wake of this big picture, the drug war is a tool of mental, spiritual, medical and physical oppression. It is the excuse to kick in the door of any activist, to haul free thinkers to jail, to limit our ways of understanding and expressing our views of the world.

Also up at Cannabis Culture is Dana Larsen's piece looking at the history of this conviction and featuring an interview with Marc from the jail. Marc appears to be well enough other than losing weight since the prison does not accommodate his vegetarian diet and there's little he can eat, but his spirit remains strong and he's resigned himself to serving his sentence even though the trial didn't go the way he intended due to a misunderstanding with his lawyer who entered a guilty plea against his wishes. He notes the result would have been the same.

"The judge was actually aware that I've given $200,000 to a drug addiction clinic, that I've adopted four children, that I haven't have any criminal conviction of any kind for six years," said Emery. "He knew that the convictions I did have are all for seeds, and that I have actually never been accused of selling or cultivating marijuana or been convicted of anything like that."

He is encouraging people to write to the authorities and the press but not on his own behalf. Rather he wants his supporters to address the inadequacies in cannabis law.

"Your letters should not be calling for me to be released. The point should be that this could happen to anyone, and it does happen to people who don't have media connections and attention like I do. Every week someone in Canada goes away for a long time for small amounts of marijuana. The people in Vancouver and Toronto live in a privileged environment, and they need to take up arms. Let my incarceration galvanize you to action. We need to ensure that the new law allows people to possess, to grow for themselves, and to share with others without renumeration. Otherwise it will be flawed."

Good advice from selfless drug policy reform leader, but send him a card as well. I'm sure he could still use cheering up.