CONSERVATIVE PARTY ADOPTS AMERICAN-STYLE DRUG POLICY

I'm writing to warn Canadians about what I feel is a broadening of the
scope in the war on drugs and more specifically the war on cannabis.

It would appear that since the May 10 extradition of Marc Scott Emery,
the Conservative Party has been making considerable efforts to
restrain the cultivation and consumption of cannabis by Canadians.
These efforts have been in the Conservative party's plans for some
time now and include the re-introduction of Bill C-15 as Bill S-10 in
the Senate. Essentially this bill will ask for mandatory minimum jail
sentences for the cultivation of as little as six cannabis plants, the
production of by-products like hashish or even for something as simple
as baking 'special brownies.'

Less than a month has passed since Honorable Justice Minister Rob
Nicholson signed an order of extradition that saw Marc Emery enter a
five-year plea bargain with the United States for selling marijuana
seeds online. Marc has been a Canadian activist for over 30 years and
is Canada's 'Prince of Pot', an internationally recognized proponent
for the legalization of cannabis.

He was arrested after a questionable case was built against him by the
DEA (who had undercover agents operating in British Columbia) with the
help of the Vancouver Police Department and the RCMP. It should be
noted that in 2003 the Vancouver Police investigated Marc Emery and
the Crown concluded that he was not a threat to public safety and
therefore would not be charged with a crime.

The fact that the DEA can operate inside our borders with such
impunity is an alarming illustration of the state of our
sovereignty.

Before his 2005 arrest, Marc Emery ran a thriving seed business (Marc
Emery Direct Seeds). The millions of dollars made from sales were used
to financially support legalization efforts all across the board -
anything from helping political organizations to paying legal fees for
victims of prohibition laws. Marc Emery only kept what he needed to
support himself and even paid taxes on his earnings.

According to Marc's wife Jodie, he had paid over $580,000 to the
Canada Revenue Agency in taxes (between 1995 and 2005) and listed his
occupation as a cannabis seed seller.

The CRA is still after an additional $300,000.

The major issue with Marc Emery's extradition is that it is
dangerously political and begs Canadians to ask the question as to
whether or not or sovereignty was violated and if Marc Emery is now a
political prisoner. Evidence to support the political motives can be
found in a report by former DEA Administrator Karen Tandy. In this
report she heralds the arrest and extradition of Marc Emery as
eliminating a pot of money for legalization efforts to draw from. The
political extradition officially took place on May 20, 2010 - Marc
Emery is now in a federal institution in Seattle, Washington.

In the wake of the Emery extradition there have been a growing number
of raids on compassion clubs in Canada. A compassion club is basically
a cannabis dispensary where medicinal users with a doctor's
recommendation can safely purchase organic cannabis.

Compassion clubs in Toronto, Guelph and most recently the entire
province of Quebec have (been) crippled by systematic raids,
eliminating a reliable vendor for medicinal users to purchase quality
organic cannabis.

So consider this a warning.

The Conservative Party has decided to adopt an American-style drug
policy, with prisons on the menu for the solution to societies 'drug
problem' - you've been warned.

- -Brett Ryan Book,

Hamilton.