Pubdate: Fri, 05 Aug 2005
Source: South Delta Leader (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005 South Delta Leader
Contact:  http://www.southdeltaleader.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1241
Note: Originally ran in Aldergrove Star
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?196 (Emery, Marc)

CAN-U.S. BUST

Marc Emery, the colourful leader of the B.C. Marijuana Party, was arrested 
last week in an international police operation that alleges his Internet 
marijuana seed sales were destined for the U.S.

He's currently being held in Canada for extradition hearings that could 
take up to two years and may result in his extradition to the U.S. on the 
charges.

While Canada has a much more lenient or tolerant attitude on the subject 
than our counterparts in the U.S., some of the reaction on this side of the 
border has been over the top. Certainly the arrest and raid on Emery's 
Vancouver marijuana business was done by Canadian authorities in 
coordination with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and Emery faces 
severe penalties in the U.S. if extradited and convicted, but any 
hand-wringing over our "loss of sovereignty" is unrealistic.

Canadians have long cooperated with U.S. authorities in international 
criminal investigations. And, despite Canada's consideration of more 
lenient laws regarding marijuana, it remains a criminal offence on both 
sides of the border.

There would be a massive outcry here if Canadians didn't cooperate with 
Americans in prosecuting murderers, kidnappers, child molesters and stock 
swindlers.

The fact that Emery's enterprise is an Internet business bears no weight in 
the argument. In cases of Internet child pornography, no right-thinking 
Canadian would want to interfere with the extradition of a person accused 
of this crime. On the other hand, Canada has a sticky situation with the 
ongoing U.S. efforts to shut down the Internet poker gambling sites, as one 
of them has a bank of computer servers based in a Quebec native reservation 
that is theoretically off-limits to authorities.

Canadians have seen the humour in the recent Aldergrove drug tunnel bust, 
but it's only funny because it was shut down so quickly. It would not have 
been so humourous if hard narcotics and illegal weapons had started coming 
this way into Canada.

- -Aldergrove Star
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom