Pubdate: Fri, 08 Apr 2016
Source: Daily Courier, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2016 The Okanagan Valley Group of Newspapers
Contact:  http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/531
Author: Ron Seymour
Page: A3

MARIJUANA ADVOCATE ARRESTED IN CALGARY

Dana Larsen Held in Jail Overnight After Leaving Kelowna at Start of 
Tour Aimed at Legalizing Pot

The Free Marijuana Tour will continue minus the free seed part, its 
Kelowna-based co-ordinator says.

Cindy Heemeryck says no cannabis seeds will be distributed at future 
stops planned by pot activist Dana Larsen, who was arrested and held 
in jail overnight by Calgary police.

"We're going to carry on," Heemeryck said Thursday from Calgary, a 
few hours after she had paid $1,000 bail to get Larsen out of jail.

"But the police confiscated all the seeds we had, so we don't have 
any more to give out," Heemeryck said. "We're just encouraging people 
to order them online."

Heemeryck said she and Larsen still planned to be in Edmonton on 
Thursday night, then continue east, making various stops before 
flying back to Vancouver on April 20 for a big pot rally in that city.

"I'm pretty upset Dana got arrested and had to spend the night in 
jail, but, on the other hand, this has gotten us so much more 
publicity than we would have got otherwise in Calgary," Heemeryck said.

Larsen says his pot-giveaway tour is aimed at forcing the federal 
Liberal government to make good on its election pledge to legalize 
marijuana. He's encouraging people who receive the seeds to plant 
them in public view, either on their own property or on public 
property, in what he calls an act of civil disobedience.

Larsen kicked off his tour Tuesday night at the Prestige Hotel in 
downtown Kelowna, attracting a crowd of 350 people. No members of the 
Kelowna RCMP were visible, and Larsen handed out pot seeds in the 
hotel parking lot.

But in Calgary, Heemeryck says, 15 police officers showed up shortly 
after the meeting began.

"I tried to tell them we'd done the same thing in Kelowna and the 
RCMP didn't bother us, but they didn't care," Heemeryck said. "These 
were city cops, not RCMP, so I guess they do things differently."

Calgary Police said a search of the van belonging to Larsen resulted 
in the seizure of 119 grams of marijuana, nearly 1,100 grams of 
marijuana seeds and a small amount of cannabis resin and oil.

Heemeryck, who was not arrested, says she'll accompany Larsen for the 
duration of the planned tour. Larsen faces charges of trafficking 
marijuana and possession for the purposes of trafficking, and has a 
court date in Calgary on May 18.

- - With files from The Canadian Press
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom