SAVE ME FROM EXTRADITION: MARC EMERY

Vancouver-based marijuana advocate Marc Emery made an urgent appeal
for an end to "pot prohibition" at Concordia University's Hingston
Hall auditorium on Friday. Recently released on bail, the leader of
the B.C. Marijuana Party and editor of Cannabis Culture Magazine
spoke to a receptive crowd of 150 people about his marijuana message
calling the war on cannabis "evil" and the jailing of pot smokers "barbaric."

The lecture, organized by the Concordia branch of the New Democratic
Party as part of a Canada-wide university tour, aimed to draw support
for Emery who is facing extradition to the United States. If Canada
rules to give him up, the "Prince of Pot" risks 35 years in a federal
penitentiary for selling millions of marijuana seeds across the border.

During the speech, Emery, 48, spoke philosophically about the
benefits of smoking the "wonderful substance" and advocated its use
for various ailments. But he came down hard on America's
drug-intolerant policies. He likened Conservatives to an "Evil
Empire" and attempted to stir up motivation among the crowd by
calling Canadians "cowards" and "scared to get involved."

Emery turned cool in addressing his frustration over the hypocrisy
surrounding marijuana.

"How can you sit there, and by your silence and your implicit consent
let your neighbors be taken to jail because of a peaceful, honest
lifestyle choice of consuming cannabis?" he ranted.

Emery, who was recently profiled on CBS's 60 Minutes, also mused on
being called a "drug kingpin" by U.S. attorney John McKay.

Emery called the insinuations "ridiculous," adding that Americans
bought his seeds out of their own free will.

"When the Wall Street Journal put me on their front page 10 years
ago, they had six editors comb my background to find any trace of
drug deals," the pot crusader told the room. "They said 'we talked to
everybody your neighbours, your parents, your business associates
every single person said you were bonified legit.'"

He urged attendees to appeal to newspapers and MP's for reform to
marijuana laws. Emery, who has donated thousands of dollars to
pro-pot organizations worldwide, also promoted political involvement
with the NDP party, providing pamphlets and sign-up forms at the door.

Throughout the discussion, Emery's boisterous sound bites and feisty
activism provoked uproars of clapping in the crowd. However, he was
heckled during the question period by a dissident who expressed
disagreement with his 'scare tactic arguments' and statement that
people were "commanded by God" to end prohibition.

The vast majority of attendees, appeared support his cause. Axel, 23,
who refused to have his name released, is a Concordia student and
avid pot smoker. He originally came to the lecture to gain insight on
the topic but he too found himself sympathetic to Emery's cause.

"It seems it's taboo," he said. "Even though it's everywhere around
us and everybody does it. They just don't talk about it and that's
hypocritical."

Steve Gawthorpe, 23, a U.S. citizen studying political science at
Concordia said he thinks the U.S. government has singled out Emery unfairly.

"I would say the united states see him as a threat," he said,
clutching his signed copy of Emery's Cannabis Culture Magazine. "And
from an American perspective, it would be sad to see Canada reform
their laws to coincide with the states because a lot of Americans see
Canada as a sanctuary for marijuana."

After the lecture, attendees crowded Emery who gave out autographs
and invited everyone to his private "freedom party" in the Plateau area.

Though marijuana seeds don't contain THC, the drug's active compound,
possessing seeds or pot, remains illegal in Canada. However, the
country's permissive attitudes have resulted in some disregard of this law.

Opinion polls indicate two thirds of Canadians agree with
decriminalization or legalization of Marijuana, yet many say Canada's
Conservative government is unlikely to relax drug laws anytime soon.
NDP Concordia's Lauren Skelly says this is doing an injustice to Canadians.

"Pot is a peaceful substance," she said. "It seems very unfair that
we're jailing a person for the distribution of a plant. Canadians are
becoming more and more tolerant about it. If we are criminalizing
these people for something that's socially accepted, isn't that kinda
two-faced?"

Marc Emery's extradition hearing is scheduled for April 6.