Resist the US-driven 'drug war'

DRUG POLICY ACTIVISTS THREATENED WITH LEGAL SANCTIONS

During the week of Sept 10-16th, citizens from over 34 cities are planning to hold peaceful direct action protests against the proposed extradition of Marc Emery, Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams from Canada to the United States.

The Darwin-based Network Against Prohibition (NAP), a member of the International Coalition of NGO's for Just and Effective Drugs Policy, will bring this distressing development to the attention of Territorians at the 24th Community Smoke-in for Human Rights at Raintree Park tomorrow at noon.

European protests will take place at Canadian Embassies in Moscow, Warsaw, Prague, London, Paris, Rome and Vienna, as well as other places, including the European Parliament in Brussels.

There will also be protests in the United States and of course, Canada.

Emery is charged with Cannabis seed distribution and money-laundering; selling cannabis seeds over the net is not seen as a criminal offence in Canada but could find him facing a life-sentence in the United States.

NAP spokesperson Gary Meyerhoff said: “Concerned about present drug policies and their implications for human rights, we see it as imperative that we oppose this extradition as potentially the beginning of a slippery slope, which could end the sovereignty of any nation to resist the US-driven 'drug war'.

“If the US is successful in forcing Emery to the US for trial, Australian citizens could be next. Therefore, we invite all Australians who want an end to the war on drugs to support the protest.”

Marc Emery is a passionate fighter for drug policy reform through various media mechanisms, including the Cannabis Culture Magazine and Pot-TV. With much of the profit he made during the course of his work, Emery funded other reform efforts and/or defended other activists who stood trial for minor drug-related crimes.

It is these humanitarian, freedom-seeking activities that have brought Emery to the attention of US drug warriors.

NAP activists are no strangers to persecution by the courts with a significant number of NAP members facing jail sentences for their roles in peaceful direct action protests. They face a number of court cases later in the year.

The NAP Smoke-In is part of the Fourth Darwin International Syringe Festival which winds up with a picnic on Sunday at Lake Alexander. For more information about NAP, the Smoke-In or the SyringeFest, call Gary on 0434 393 008.

More information on Marc's case is available here.