| Shaun aRe 2005-06-20, 8:49 am |
|
"Tim Meehan" <meehant@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1119031283.385280.324770@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> For more information see these websites:
>
> http://www.cannabisculture.com/foru...=&Board=current
>
> http://www.medpot.net/forums/index.php?showforum=9
>
> http://www.reneeboje.com/
>
> Audio report: http://www.timeeehan.ca/boje/CKNW.mp3
>
> Text of Justice Minister Irwin Cotler's ruling:
>
> PDF: http://americanmarijuana.org/boje/Boje.Decision.pdf
> JPG: http://www.timeeehan.ca/boje
>
> If someone could OCR these, it would be greatly appreciated. Please
> let me know via email if you can do this.
>
> -Tim Meehan
>
> ---
>
> JUNE 17, 2005
>
> YOUNG MOTHER FACING DEPORTATION, IMPRISONMENT FOR ASSISTING HIV/AIDS
> PATIENT ACQUIRING LEGAL MEDICAL MARIJUANA
>
> Contact: Chris Bennett
> work (604)682-0039
> home (604)929-7966
>
> Attorney Sarah Roach (assisting Her attorney John Conroy while he is
> out
> of town)
> 1-604-852-5110 (in Abbottsford)
>
> Decision available at:
> http://americanmarijuana.org/boje/Boje.Decision.pdf
>
> In a heartless decision, and unlike 2 preceding Justice Ministers,
> Irwin
> Cotler released a negative decision yesterday in the Boje Extradition
> case. Renee Boje, who is married to a Canadian citizen and is the
> mother
> of a Canadian son, is being sent back to US authorities to serve a ten
> year mandatory minimum to life sentence for her involvement in a
> medical
> marijuana growing operation in California, shortly after the state of
> California legalized marijuana for medical purposes.
>
> Mr. Cotler, a purported champion of human rights, ignored evidence that
> Ms. Boje would be subject to cruel and unusual punishment and treatment
> at the hands of US federal authorities. Mr. Cotler also ignored the
> fact that Ms. Boje will be prevented from arguing that her actions were
> legal under California law and that the marijuana being grown was for
> medical purposes.
> Finally, the decision fails to even mention the recent US Supreme Court
> decision allowing federal prosecutions against persons who were legally
> entitled to grow marijuana under state law and the US government
> rhetoric in the wake of that decision expressly claiming that marijuana
> had no medical value.
>
> Renee Boje's trials and tribulations began after California medical
> marijuana activist and cancer patient Todd McCormick was arrested
> growing thousands of cannabis plants in a rented Bel Air home in the
> summer of 1997. Inspired by the recent passage of Proposition 215 that
> effectively legalized medical marijuana in the state, McCormick began
> growing the plants as part of his research for a book he was working
> on,
> "How to Grow Medical Marijuana."
>
> Renee was initially arrested along with a number of other people on the
> premises, but her charges were later dropped. In 1998, Renee's lawyer
> advised her that the charges against her were about to be reinstated
> and
> recommended that she leave the US. Renee relocated to the Sunshine
> Coast
> of British Columbia and eventually filed for refugee status. Renee
> offered to return to the US and stand trial if the former US Attorney
> General Janet Reno would drop the charges against co-defendant Peter
> McWilliams, who was dying of AIDS. Tragically, the US Federal
> authorities denied Peter his legal right to use medical marijuana, a
> proven powerful anti-nauseant, and Peter died alone in his apartment
> from choking on his own vomit.
>
> The other defendant, cancer survivor Todd McCormick, was convicted and
> spent 5 years in Federal Prison without access to the only medicine
> which eased his pain from his medical condition. McCormick was forced
> to
> plead guilty in order to avoid a possible life sentence and so that he
> might pursue an appeal of the court decision that refused to allow him
> to introduce evidence of his medical need for marijuana(the appeal was
> unsuccessful and US defendants are not even entitled to bring evidence
> of medical need or use when defending federal charges).
>
> Ignoring the glaring differences between Canadian and US law, Irwin
> Cotler has rendered a decision that has devastated Mrs. Boje and her
> Canadian family. With the current ban on all things marijuana related
> from the US, Boje's Canadian husband, who has no criminal record,
> cannot
> even travel into America purely based on his association with cannabis
> activism and his wife's high profile case. If Renee is extradited, she
> will be effectively cut off from her family, based solely on their
> political and religious beliefs.
>
> Mrs Boje, her husband Chris Bennett and son Shiva will be appearing at
> the BC Supreme Court House, 800 West Smithe St at 8:30 am to surrender
> herself to the authorities, the decision will be read in court at 9:30
> am and the Boje family and their lawyer hope to see bail granted while
> they challenge this unjust and devastating decision.
Thanks for posting this - how UTTERLY wrong, twisted, sick, the XXXXers!
Damn well made me cry... FFS, the world is going to hell... faster than
ever...
If I were she, I'd run for the XXXXing hills.
Shaun aRe
--
May all your wishes be both wise and fulfilled.
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