The Prince of Pot, Marc Emery, is saying goodbye to Canada by way of a “fairwell tour”, scheduled to make its mark in 32 cities, before he is extradited to the U.S. for selling cannabis seeds to U.S. customers.

On Sunday, Emery began the tour in Calgary saying:

I’m being taken to a U.S. prison for something I did in Canada as innocuous as selling seeds, which don’t even have any drug quality, and yet I have to face a five year term for that. [...] It’s difficult to say what will happen in a U.S. federal penitentiary. It’s never very pleasant. American jails aren’t run nearly as well as Canadian jails. [...] I’m going away for a long time so I expect everybody to do their best and pick up the slack for me.

Emery is referring to the fight coming up in form of bill C-15, a federal bill that would impose mandatory minimum sentences for marijuana in Canada. The bill has already passed the House of Commons and it is now in the hands of the Senate. Emery advises activists to back the NDP, the Bloc, and the Green Party — all pro-cannabis political parties.

Emery’s fairwell tour continues in Saskatoon on Wednesday and Edmonton on Thursday.

Look out, Canadians… Skynet is now online.

The US Border Patrol is preparing to deploy a ‘Predator B’ unmanned drone aircraft along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, presumably to detect drug growing and smuggling operations along the US-Canadian border.

Also known as the MQ-9 Reaper, the drone is a second generation version of the original Predator that the US military has been using in some capacity since 1995. Still enjoying the fruits of a post-9/11 spending spree, the Border Patrol now has at least five of its Predator toys patrolling the US-Mexico border. It launched its first US-Canadian mission along the Dakota-Manitoba border in February as part of the Border Patrol’s “Northern Border Air Wing,” a high-tech surveillance plan called for by the 9/11 commission.

Make no mistake, these drones are not toys. The Reaper has a wing span of 66 feet and can weigh up to five tons when fully armed and loaded. Part of that weight is the 3,000+ lbs of missiles and bombs that it is equipped to carry. Whereas the original Predators were designed primarily for surveillance, Reapers are lauded by the military for their role as “true hunter-killers.”

Of course, without human pilots, these drones are only as good as the electronics and software that keep them airborne, as evidenced by the 2006 drone crash in Arizona. Let’s hope that these new Reapers aren’t running Windows Vista.

As a child of the 80s, I have vivid memories of a “Just Say No” campaign that introduced the dangers of crack-cocaine to a group of seven-year-olds in my second grade class. It seems that the more things change, the more they stay the same. In response to a widely spreading crystal meth epidemic among street youth, British Columbia is taking its fight back into the classroom.

The Crystal Meth Society of British Columbia holds school assemblies for grade school children of various ages, and doesn’t pull many punches in doing so. One of the main features of their performance is a grizzly video entitled, Death by Jib.

According to one parent:

After watching Death by Jib I wanted to immediately take the video home to show my teenagers. There is something in this video for everyone.

That is, assuming your teenagers enjoy watching grizzly youth deaths brought on by inopportune abuse of a hallucinogen. It’s hard to look at Canada’s Drug Aware101 program and see anything markedly different from the D.A.R.E tactics that have been in American schools for decades.

As several studies have shown, most D.A.R.E programs either have a completely negligible effect on the children’s likeliness to try new drugs, or actually can cause them to be more likely to experiment with drugs. As many drug academics and former law enforcement have argued, it’s often much more effective to simply inform kids about the realities of the drug world, rather than trying ot inflate or exaggerate the dangerous in an attempt to scare them. American kids seem to be a great deal more discerning than these drug educational programs give them credit for. It remains to be seen whether the same can be said of young Canadiens.

In the meantime, The Crystal Meth Society of BC will endeavor to be “crystal clear” about the realities of a very dangerous substance.

As usual, before the Prince of Pot begins talking, we see him toking — yet this time it seems as if he’s more mentally exhausted than ever. His slouched body language and empty stare into the camera tell us that this man has a lot on his mind these days, issues that have been haunting him since the DEA made him their personal pet project by declaring him one of the top 50 drug traffickers of the world.

Emery and his wife Jodie, deliver the sad news that Cannabis Culture magazine has ceased print publication. The main reasons were the cost (every issue lost $40,000), finding printers and the fact that the articles within the magazine would already be covered by various sources online by the time the magazine was released.

Despite the end of the print form of the Cannabis Culture magazine, they are redirecting their energy into concentrating on their online website Cannabis Culture, and having different people in the scene participating. If interested in the remainder stock of back issues of Cannabis Culture magazine, they are being sold in a bundle package (60 issues) for $100. All of the back issues are also in the archives of their website.

Despite the city of Vancouver’s attempt to shut down his storefront businesses or at least wrapping it up with bureaucratic red tape, Emery still seems to be in somewhat good spirits. He’s willing to basque in the spotlight for his supporters — that is until the dark cloud of the U.S. federal government moves in.

There was somewhat good news on the case against Emery’s friends and employees, Michelle Rainey and Gregory Keith Williams who plead guilty to conspiracy to manufacture marijuana (a charge stemming back to the days when Emery’s seed bank was in operation,) are to be sentenced to two years of probation in July.

As for Emery, his lawyer basically told him he doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell in not being expedited to the United States. Once here in the states, he will be stuck here by a sneaky stipulation that will force him to pay whatever fine he is subjected to before he can even think about serving x-amount of time in Canada. He plans to plead guilty to one count of marijuana distribution, which doesn’t have a minimum sentencing or fines. The feds want to give Emery five to eight years and Emery plans to receive less.

Like a true master of the matrix, Emery plans on using his cultural influence and his supporters to pimp the system, particularly when it comes to social networking. His idea is to have people contact the federal judge in an effort to give testimonials or essays on why they should be lenient with sentencing. Unfortunately for Emery, if the government has made this much of an effort to convict him, then they plan to make him an example that the drug war is still on. If that’s the case, I’m sure that they will cover their bases and assign a judge to the case that may not be able to be influenced by any outside sources or parties.

Free heroin is planned to be given to over 300 addicts in the Canadian cities of Vancouver and Montreal, as part of a three year project called Study to Assess Longer-term Opioid Medication Effectiveness, research designed to find drug replacements to the highly addictive opiate.

In the first stage of the study, researchers plan on injecting some addicts with Dilaudid — a prescribed painkiller that derives from the same opioid family while a control group receives heroin. In the second stage they plan to give the addicts a pill form of Dilaudid and heroin — eliminating the need for nursing assistance.

Trish Walsh, executive director of the InnerChange Foundation, an advocacy group for addicts that funds drug research, said:

We have the potential to revolutionize treatment on an international basis. [...] It gives addicts the opportunity to move from a very unsafe, back-alley drug to taking an oral tablet.

Dr. Martin Schechter, who works at the the School of Population and Public Health at the University of B.C. said the Canadian Institute of Health Research is going to fund the research costs for the study, while the Vancouver Coastal Health and the Quebec Ministry of Health are to fund the clinical costs of the study.

In response to Health Canada’s recent slight change in regulations to medical marijuana use in Canada, Ron Marzel, a lawyer in Ontario, plans on launching a challenge to the courts this summer in an effort to legalize marijuana. While at the same time, he hopes to have the charges dropped against the numerous Ontario clients he has that face marijuana trafficking charges.

Marzel has been part of the successful Federal court challenge that forced Health Canada to change their regulations in regard to medical marijuana — all eight times:

This is the only way. The courts have repeatedly given the government time to come up with a workable solution. They didn’t do it. Health Canada has brought this upon itself.

Marzel is going directly for the throat, knowing that the courts have left the decision up to Health Canada and ultimately the government as they’ve consistently shown their resistance to the issue of medical marijuana. Either they need to ease the restrictions on medical marijuana or legalize it completely and let people decide what to use it for.

A positive outcome of the potential court case would offer the legalization movement in the United States and other countries a serious boost.

After a Canadian Federal Court ruled last year that allowing only one medical marijuana patient per licensed grower was a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Canada’s Cabinet increased the limit to two patients per producer. This slight increase has sparked heavy criticism from the MP’s and advocates for medical marijuana.

A Health Canada spokesman, Philippe Laroche, said in an e-mail:

As a result of (the Federal Court ruling), the government has moved quickly to address this regulatory void and has modified the (regulations) to allow one designated person to now produce marijuana for up to two authorized persons. [...] This modification is currently in force.

Eric Nash, a licensed Vancouver Island marijuana supplier under the Marijuana Medical Access Regulations said:

From one to two patients, that’s just insane.

Despite several hundreds of requests from medical marijuana patients, Nash and his partner are limited to one patient each.

New Democrat MP Libby Davies said:

From the beginning, the federal government has been dragged kicking and screaming into accepting the use of marijuana for medical reasons.

Davies also says that the government ruling is “abysmal” and that the courts should reverse the decision eventually. Health Canada is aware that thousands of medical marijuana patients receive their marijuana through “Compassion Centers” but that marijuana is not regulated for quality and safety and it’s source is usually the black market.

In America, weed smoking may be for medicinal or recreational purposes. In Canada, they take their herb quite seriously. So seriously, in fact, that they have decided to welcome the entire international community to the 2010 Winter Olympics by hoisting a giant doobie above the stadium.

Yes, your eyes don’t deceive you. It’s not a scalpel statue, or an electric toothbrush, it’s a joint. A majestic, three foot, aerodynamic, joint. And it’s lit. Or it will be, in any case, when it makes its 21,000 mile journey all over the country of Canada as it is carried by over 12,000 canucks. This gives new meaning to the term “Puff, puff, pass.”

According to the torch relay director, Suzanne Reeves:

It’s quite magical. Most people’s reactions are emotional.

As it should be! After all, wouldn’t you weep before a nationally constructed fatty-to-end-all-fatties?

Something is rotten in the state of Canada. The country’s national statistics agency, Statistics Canada, recently reported that while the overall crime rate is at a 30-year low, drug arrests are at a 30-year high. Befuddled Canadian officials could only speculate as to any causes for the huge discrepancy.

Several possibilities could explain this phenomenon:

1. Some sort of Brave New World-esque ‘Soma’ drug has pacified all of the canucks simultaneously. Good old burglary and assault just can’t compete with the vast psychotropic pleasures offered by this new substance.
2. Someone at the provincial police department thought they might try only enforcing drug crimes for a decade or three. After all, why go through all of the legwork of investigating and pursuing actual violent criminals when you can simply hit up your local street corner and do some drug rips? Easy in, easy out, arrest rates stay up, and no homework for the cops.
3. Every single Canadian criminal is now safely behind bars.

To be fair, #3 can’t be the case. As it turns out, Statistics Canada reports that almost half of all drug charges in 2007 were stayed, withdrawn, or dismissed. Furthermore, 2 out of 3 of all of the record-tallying drug arrests were for marijuana.

It would seem that the nation of Canada has proved that there is little to no association between drug use and crime (as the heightened drug use has corresponded with the lowest crime rate in memory.) Also, it appears that due to the remarkably low crime rate, there is virtually nothing for the Canadian police to do with their time other than harass weed smokers (who inevitably are released without charge.)

There are few things more dangerous than hicks who are both bored and heavily armed. Perhaps the National Curling and/or Hockey League should expand their recruitment — for all our sakes.

With swine flu subsiding to our south, Weed Fever seems to be taking hold in our northern neighbor. As reported by the BBC, this week, the Canadian weed machine is quickly becoming a thorn in the side of the United States.

The piece above first depicts Canadian Mounties (unfortunately not in their official crimson regalia) frantically erradicating weed crops in the Canadian wilderness.  Some of the grow fields depicted are as vast as three football fields. Watching this piece gives one the sense that our entire northern border is little more than a Mystical Psychedelic Forest full of happily stoned hockey elves and talking moose.

To make matters worse (or better, depending on your position) British Columbia has a sanctioned Marijuana Party headed by weed activist and fugitive, Marc Emery. The piece shows the BCMP disseminating joints like lollipops to amused spectators.

Two brothers, Michael Danzi, 31, of Norwalk and Brian Danzi, 34, of Greenwich both pled guilty in a federal court on Tuesday, for their roles in a Canadian drug ring that netted $800,000 from the distribution of marijuana.

Brian Danzi admitted to actually distributing the marijuana for $4,000 a pound, while Michael Danzi was charged with conspiring to distribute marijuana — both carrying a sentence of a maximum of 20 years and a $1,000,000 fine. Michael Danzi also admitted to smuggling the cash out of the U.S., which carries a maximum of five years and up to $250,000 fine.

Michael Danzi’s sentencing is scheduled for June 23 and Brian Danzi’s sentencing is scheduled to be held on June 24.

Canada’s Supreme Court in Ottawa, with a three-judge panel, shot down the Canadian government’s appeal of a ruling from another case that ended their monopoly on marijuana.

The decision comes as great news to the group of medical marijuana patients that originally challenged the federal regulations in 2008. Saying that they should be allowed to find their own source for marijuana because the government-issued pot, supplied by Prairie Plant Systems in Manitoba, was too weak.

Two more men involved in an international drug smuggling ring led by imprisoned Yong Ye, were sentenced in an Australian court. Kin Fai Chan of Canada was given 12 years, while Chun Fung Lo, of Hong Kong received 7 and a half years, for a smaller role within the organization.

The charges from Australia, attempting to possess 15 kilos of methamphetamine, are from a December investigation by the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit in which Yong Ye pled guilty to being the head honcho of the ring.

After the B.C. Supreme Court sentenced Ye to 18 years in a Vancouver prison, investigators within the CFSE contacted the Australian Federal Police and informed them about an incoming shipment of modified suitcases from Vancouver coming into Australia.

Houston, we have a problem. According to a survey, teens have given up smoking marijuana for pills and hallucinogens. The disturbing factor in all of this is; the study was conducted with teens from British Columbia… a place where pot has been common place for years.

It’s an interesting trend in British Columbia, as marijuana use for teens there has dropped for the tenth straight year but prescription drugs without a doctor’s consent, as well as hallucinogen drugs such as Ecstasy, are on the rise. Ecstasy use alone had increased by nine percent since 2003.

Unfortunately, the survey doesn’t explain why their teens have moved to pills.

Check out these YouTube videos of people celebrating 4/20 all over the country.

[Santa Cruz, CA] Partied like Potstars in UC Santa Cruz

Everyone usually arrives early to walk around and truly enjoy the festivities before heading off to Porter Meadow to light up at 4:20 p.m. Mother Nature threw some heat Santa Cruz’s way on 4/20. At UC Santa Cruz, the brave people that did venture forth into the baking sun, carried water bottles and suntan lotion.

A newly added oddity to the party were religious, sign-wielding protesters.  If anyone needed pot clearly it was those that were questioning the morality of smoking pot and holding signs that read ‘Highway to Hell’. Even bare chested dudes blowing smoke into their faces didn’t entice them to come to the dark side.

All in all, the 96ºF heat didn’t result in any medical incidents and the police got a chance to rescue a dog trapped in a car that had it’s windows up. 5-0 were also happy to give out 200 parking citations.

[Boulder, Denver] No Tickets Issued for Possession

Roughly between 8,000-10,000 people showed up at the University of Colorado for their 4/20 rally. At 4:20 p.m. they let out a cheer and a cloud of smoke filled the air.

Another 3,000 people showed up at the Civic Center Park in Denver, CO. People heard live music and speeches from activist groups. 80 police officers were present as well but no drug arrests were made.

[Vancouver, BC] 4/20 Draws Another Big Crowd