No Extradition for Marc Emery, Michelle Rainey, or Greg Williams

Three Canadians face extradition to the United States and life in US prison - but they've never been there!

The extradition hearing is scheduled for June 1-5th, 2009 with an appearance February 9-13th for applications. Canadians Marc Emery, Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams, collectively known as the BC3, are fighting extradition to the USA and possible life imprisonment. In March 2008, the Canadian Government decided to turn down a plea deal the USA and Marc Emery had arranged, which means the extradition process resumes. See the No Extradition forum in the CC Forums for more information and discussion.

Who are "the BC3"?
Marc Emery, Michelle Rainey, and Greg Williams are Canadian citizens who were heavily involved in Canadian and American anti-prohibition activism for over ten years, though they remained in Canada at all times. The US Justice Department wants to have the BC3 extradited to the USA to be charged with conspiracy to produce marijuana, conspiracy to traffic marijuana, and conspiracy to launder the proceeds of crime. However, "Marc Emery Direct Seeds" was a marijuana seed business; the BC3 never sold any marijuana. The DEA even went undercover and tried to buy ten pounds from Marc Emery, but he gave them a lecture about how he sold seeds -- not pot -- and told the female undercover agent she was "stupid to ask me to sell marijuana, because I've never done it before, and I assume I'm always monitored by law enforcement"! Marc Emery sold marijuana seeds in a store in downtown Vancouver BC and through the mail for over ten years. Numerous other seed selling businesses do the very same every day. Marc had no business outlets in the USA, and never went to the USA to conduct seed transactions. Everything was done openly and transparently; Marc is a media magnet and explained how he did it all. He spent the proceeds from all sales on ending the drug war: he financed numerous ballot initiatives, election campaigns, court challenges, medical user legal fees, conferences, events, and more in Canada, the USA, and all over the world. That's what his mission was, and he even ran in elections five times as a seed seller, gaining many votes and endless media coverage. Because Marc Emery was so successful in fighting against the US-led War on Drugs, the powers in America decided to shut him up. The United States Justice Department and DEA had Canadian police help execute a raid and arrests for extradition of three political activists -- Marc Emery, Michelle Rainey, and Greg Williams -- to face 10 years up to life in US prison. Please phone. It would be "cruel and unjust", and an insult to Canada's sovereignty, to extradite Canadians Marc Emery, Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams to the United States to face life in US prison. If Canadians have broken the law in Canada, they should be given a fair jury trial in Canada. If they won't face any severe imprisonment in Canada for the charges laid, they should not be extradited to another country to face possible life imprisonment.

Did You Know?
 - In Canada, there are two precedents for selling marijuana seeds:
1) In the year case R. v. Hunter in the year 2000, the BC Court of Appeals found that a $200 fine, not jail time, is the appropriate punishment for selling seeds.
2) On March 7th, 2008, the BC Appeals Court released a decision that the punishment for selling cannabis seeds should not be more severe than one month in prison and one year of probation, the punishment handed to a marijuana seed retailer in BC who was selling to Americans.

- Marc Emery, Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams never went to the United States. The seed business, "Marc Emery Direct Marijuana Seeds", was Canadian-based and run by Marc Emery. There were no US-based employees, and only regular mail was ever sent across the border from Vancouver, BC to Americans who made orders on-line or through the mail.

- According to a 2005 survey done by the Strategic Counsel & Angus Reid Polling, 58% of Canadians oppose extradition in this case. In the years since, public opposition to extradition has only grown, with national newspaper editorials, local news columnists, and even Members of Canada's Parliament all urging the Justice Minister to refuse extradition in this case.

- Marc Emery paid Income Tax to Revenue Canada and Revenue BC on all of his income generated from his seed business. He paid more than $500,000 in taxes between 1999 to 2005, and put his occupation on the income tax declarations as "marijuana seed vendor".

- Marc Emery's magazine "Cannabis Culture" was sent to every Member of Parliament for over 12 years, and still is today. Every issue of Cannabis Culture up to #57 (the issue printed on the very same day as the raid, July 29th, 2005) included the entire seed catalogue in it, so Parliament knew about the business.

- Health Canada, when it first began licensing medical marijuana users, recommended to Members of Parliament and licensed users that new cannabis growers should purchase seeds on-line from Canadian seed sellers such as Marc Emery Direct. Svend Robinson, the New Democratic Party Health Critic in Canadian Parliament, will testify to that fact.

- Marc Emery brought a capitalist approach to the marijuana legalization movement by starting "radical retail" outlets such as Hemp BC, and got politically involved by helping organize the Canadian Marijuana Party and creating the BC Marijuana Party, the latter which he still leads today.

 - Marc Emery created his seed business with the purpose of using the profits to fund the cannabis movement worldwide. Through the sale of cannabis seeds, Marc was able to finance numerous drug law reform groups and events around the world, mostly in Canada and the United States. He funded global rally/march promotion, American and Canadian ballot initiatives, election campaigns, lobbying groups, conferences, drug rehab clinics, class action lawsuits, protests, patient bills and bail fees, and more. In total, over $4,000,000 was contributed to various activities and organizations.

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