NORMLSask

International media learn what it means to be Cannabian.

Emery summer of legalization tour 2003, Regina event, July 12.

There's articles for every part of this historic tour at cannabisculture.com/articles/3026.html [cannabisculture.com/articles/3026.html]

Spent most of the day walking around with leaflets trying to get people to come, ended up getting there late, Emery was already speaking. Great turnout, as you can tell from the video. At about 6:50 I think about lying at the bottom of the steps to slow the cops down when Emery sparks the bowl. You can see the wheels turning in my mind as I look at Emery, the cops, the steps, and then decide right when the countdown starts.
At 6:59 I slip behind Tim over to the steps, you can see me laying at the bottom at 7:22-7:25 before the cops make me get up. They started down the stairs right before he lit it, but I was in the way and they had to go up and around to get at him, otherwise he wouldn't have gotten a full hoot before they got him. Could have left as the cops were trying to get on camera with emery, but a cop told me to wait so I did because I was stoned, I get arrested at 9:20 and my brother is asking why in the last part. I was charged with obstruction of justice, but the charges were stayed, my theory is that they didn't want that part covered by the media, it's better to have it just be an out of town activist and not promote the locals or risk having a bunch of people laying down with the same intent at a future protest. Of course, that's no worry, it's nearly impossible to get people in this town to do anything fun. Oh well.
I don't regret it, but I wouldn't do it the same way again. If one of the cops would have tripped and hurt themself, it would have ruined the event in addition to unintentionally hurting someone when the intent was non-violent civil disobedience. I should have made sure they saw me when I laid down, because they were watching Emery.
Daniel Johnson,
Director,
NORML Saskatchewan.

Two brilliant, energetic minds, pioneers of different generations in the legalization movement, both in the habit of talking with their hands, agressively agreeing with each other while talking about current events, circa 2003. Fun to watch, informative and energizing.

supporters of the medical marijuana movement should remember to say Thanks Obama on their sites/blogs, etc., and make sure this is thought of as a good political move for the administration, so more positive change will be considered politically viable. The Department Of Justice memo to prosecutors is a major historical landmark for legalization. It opens the doors for new states creating their own medical marijuana guidelines, and it sets a precedent that will make it easier to lobby for eased restrictions in other countries throughout the US global empire.

If you've ever met Jodie Emery in person, this is hard to watch. She is the epitome of a good person, one of the most genuinely sweet people you could ever hope to meet, and seeing her cry, even in a video, makes me very angry even though I've only met her briefly a couple of times.

Psychiatric drugs are way overprescribed. A large part of the problem is that the "experts" who make their living as glorified drug dealers are the only ones who are considered "qualified" to examine the problem. All they offer as a solution is more new drugs, and because they are the "experts", they get to be wrong again and again at our expense.