free the Pot Hostages - stop the extraditions to the U.S. for cannabis, global protests Sep 10th

PEACEFUL PROTEST outside Canadian and US Embassies, Grosvenor Sq, London, W1. Sat 10 September 2005. Meet in centre of Square (small park). 2pm - 5pm. Nearest tube: Bond Street.

The United States is attempting to extradite Marc Emery, editor of Cannabis Culture Magazine and two of his colleagues from Canada for offences related to supplying cannabis seeds by mail order.

Thease are relatively minor charges in Canada, but if these judicial kidnappings go ahead the Canadian 'pot hostages' face draconian penalties in the U.S. which they would not get in their own country. Amnesty International has described the US prison system as 'inhuman'.

Marc Emery is a leading cannabis activist and magazine publisher known internationally for his campaigning work. He has obviously been singled out for attention for political reasons.

Despite paying taxes on all profits from his seed buisness Marc is also being charged with ‘money laundering’, because he spent his seed profits on the campaign to end cannabis prohibition.

At very short notice, international protests have been organised for 10th Sep 2005, with protest events confirmed in 36 cities including London.

The issue of concern for people everywhere is the attempt to extradite non U.S. citizens for cannabis 'offences' to face harsher penalties than they would ever receive under the law of their own countries. It could be anywhere next. For anything.

Other issues are the 'Bush War on Drugs', the Afghan Heroin Scandal, and solidarity with US medical cannabis users also facing extradition to US prisons from Canada.

We will be advising the Canadian Government to retain their legal independence and their sovereignty as an independent nation, and refuse these extraditions. Canada has a good reputation in the world to uphold! According to a recent public opinion survey, 58 per cent of Canadians oppose Marc Emery's extradition to the USA.

We are calling on the US government to stop taking hostages in their failed 'War on Drugs' and end cannabis prohibition now. Currently over 700,000 Americans are prosecuted in the USA just for marijuana possession, costing over 10 billion dollars a year. Under U.S. law you can even face the death penalty for large scale ‘ganja’ cultivation, while their treatment of medical cannabis users is a crime against humanity.

Despite their total failure, the US is still attempting to export its drug policies worldwide, including Britain, with networks of DEA agents interfering in local politics, and causing problems. This seems to result in the increased use of heroin and crack cocaine where ever they go.

The DEA's 'fundamentalist' drug policy stubbornly flies in the face of scientific evidence, claiming that cannabis has no therapeutic or nutritional value. It is time they turned over a new leaf for the sake of the American people, and people everywhere.

"They came for the cannabis users and I did not speak out, and then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me".

PEACEFUL POT PROTEST @ Canadian and US Embassies, Grosvenor Sq, London, W1. Sat 10th September 2005. Meet centre of Square (small park). 2pm - 5pm. Nearest tube: Bond Street.

Free The Pot Hostages Sep 10th CONTACTS:

London organisers: www.cannabistrust.com
World listings: www.cannabisculture.com
Latest news: www.newsoftheweed.com

DOWNLOAD London event flyer for printing and local distribution: freepothostages.pdf (A4 3up b/w 220k).