News of the North

Marc Emery continues to make news, at least in Canada. It looks like he could get some help from high places on his extradition appeal.

The Ottawa Xpress posts an interesting interview with Eugene Oscapella, an Ottawa Lawyer who teaches drug policy at the University of Ottawa. He discusses the Emery case and the irrational drug policy in Canada.

He rightly notes they have their own problems up there, but compared to the US, Canada looks like the soul of reason.

The Up in Smoke cafe will be sponsoring a smoke-out rally in Hamilton tomorrow. They're giving free cannabis to attendees. Word has it there's been an ongoing demonstration in front of the cafe for the last several days and the local cops have been hassling them, but they have so far stood their ground and kept the local law enforcement in their place. Rumor also has it that the police will not be arrested attendees for openly consuming cannabis, as long as they are orderly.

The Canadian version of the DEA (or would that be FBI) has released a new report on illicit drugs. Unsurprisingly they conclude that prohibition has created organized crime networks that now control the market in illegal drugs.

[hat tip to Tim Meehan]