ACTIVISTS PROTEST EXTRADITION

Local marijuana activists slammed the recent extradition of a
Canadian man to the U.S. to face charges.

A rally was held in support of Marc Emery in front of Chatham-Kent
Essex MP Dave Van Kesteren's office on Saturday afternoon.

Emery was extradited to answer charges of selling marijuana seeds
through the mail. He is expected to plead guilty in a Seattle court
this week and faces a five-year prison term.

Dan Maciejowski, of Chatham, called it hypocritical since Emery was
declaring his sales and paying income tax in Canada.

"This is against our sovereign nation," he said. "He wasn't in America at all."

Similar "Free Marc" events were held in 100 locations in 11 countries.

Maciejowski handed out literature on the situation to passerby. He
said petitions had also been sent to MPs across the country to no avail.

"Nothing has happened," he said. "We're going to continue until he comes home."

Maciejowski, 20, believes marijuana is being unfairly targeted
compared to various legal substances.

"We can smoke cigarettes that kill us. We can drink alcohol that
kills us," he said.

His friend Joe Mooney, 20, believes the federal government sold out Emery.

"I want to keep spreading the word," he said. "A lot of people don't
want to do that in a small town."

Mooney said there has been a mix of positive and negative reactions
from the public.

Van Kesteren's office was closed on Saturday. Contacted at home, the
MP said he was unaware such an event was taking place.

He admitted he didn't have an in-depth knowledge of the case, but
said Canadians need to be aware of what can happen when they break the law.

"There's consequences when we do that," he said.