RESPECT CANADA'S STANDARDS OF JUSTICE

Marc Emery has a lot of cheek, but that's not a crime in Canada. Neither is
it a crime in the U.S., where drug enforcement authorities want to drag him
to face criminal charges that carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.

He runs what is said to be the largest marijuana seed bank in the world.
His website even has tips on germinating and sprouting the seeds, and an
address for mail orders.

Canadian police haven't interfered, even though he's been openly selling
seeds for nine years from his Vancouver bookstore and parading himself
shamelessly as the "Prince of Pot."

Vancouver police say it was "priorities and resources" that kept their
attention elsewhere. But when the U.S. after a 16-month investigation
provided the "more substantive information" they needed, and requested a
search of the store, Vancouver police sought authorization from the B.C.
Supreme Court. Associate Chief Justice Patrick Dohm agreed there were
reasonable grounds to believe that a conspiracy to manufacture marijuana,
distribute seeds and engage in money-laundering, and the search went ahead.

Though the American authorities, after his arrest last week, wanted Emery
held in custody until extradition proceedings against him and two
associates can go ahead -- probably not for two years -- Dohm let him go
free Monday on $50,000 bail. The judge also said he can continue running
his bookstore, and campaign for the legalization of pot, which must have
left U.S. authorities fuming.

This is where the absurdity of the case becomes clear: To American
officials on a jihad against marijuana, losing the battle against pot cells
in their own country, Emery is as dangerous as Osama bin Laden.

They couldn't stand for this Canadian loud-mouth flaunting himself and
flouting their laws over the Internet. The case was so serious that the
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration set up shop in Vancouver. About 38
agents were involved in the investigation of Emery and his U.S. customers.

But in this country, police have more important things to do than seize
seeds. There's a bill before Parliament to remove criminal penalties for
possession of small amounts of pot. Vancouver city council is pressing for
the legalization of marijuana. The Union of B.C. Municipalities is
considering a similar campaign.

And, thankfully, the B.C. Supreme Court will not allow a Guantanamo
Bay-type treatment of a pot activist who is using his enterprise as a means
to support what the polls have shown a majority of Canadians want -- a more
rational approach to the use of what is not merely a recreational drug of
less demonstrated harm than alcohol, but, in some cases, a medically
approved drug.

This is a case of politics and social priorities. Emery's objectives -- he
is leader of the B.C. Marijuana party -- are political. His pursuit by U.S.
authorities is politically motivated. We must ensure that whether he is
extradited to the U.S., and what punishment he faces if he is, respects
Canadian priorities and Canadian standards of justice.