Long story short; Steve Kubby uses marijuana to (says he) stay alive. He fled to Canada to avoid prosecution, and now he's being extradited back to the U.S. to face charges - and of course he'll lose use of his medicine. Here's his press release:
VANCOUVER — Canadian Federal Justice, Yvon Pinard, ruled today that Immigration Canada may now proceed with its attempt to send Steve Kubby, cancer patient and medical marijuana refugee, to die in an American jail. Immigration Canada is expected to issue a new removal date, presumably sometime next week.Angry and distraught, Michelle Kubby said, “Justice Pinard simply ignored the statements by the Placer County Prosecutor that Steve would be jailed, if he is forced to return to the US. (Kubby was prosecuted by Placer County in 1999 after a six month surveillance of the Kubbys’ home based solely on an anonymous letter.)
“He also completely misrepresented California laws regarding medical marijuana. No jail in the US allows the use of medical marijuana. My husband’s life hangs in the balance, but Justice Pinard ignored blatant lying by Immigration officials.
“We attempted to file an appeal to the Federal Court of Appeals, but were denied. If Canadian judges ignore both the facts and the law, we can only count on the Canadian people to contact their politicians. Unfortunately, Canada is in the middle of an election campaign in which even the plight of Canadians who need medical cannabis does not seem to be an issue.
“Still, we can only plead with the people who hear about our situation to call those Ministers who can stop Immigration Canada from killing my husband. All we need is time in Canada to clear Steve’s name in the US. Please phone or fax the Ministers of Immigration, Health, Justice and Public Safety,” said Mrs. Kubby.
This seems like a rather drastic way to prove that it really is the pot keeping him alive.
You may recall the feds had no pity when they arrested Peter McWilliams, leading to his demise.
Via Hammer of Truth.
Posted by Walter at January 20, 2006 04:21 PMA friend of mine here in Boulder had his door kicked in by the Boulder Joint Drug Task Force (great name, eh?) while he and his teenage daughter were out a couple of weeks ago. Yes, he dealt pot. Nothing else. And he was an activist in the local Libertarian Party and in NORML.
I have no particular point in mentioning this, but just mentioning another victim of the War On Some Drugs. He'll likely do a few months of time. Nice guy. Entirely harmless. I'm not sure what's going to happen with his daughter (although I'm rather vague on her age; junior or senior high schoolish, I think).
Posted by: Gary Farber at January 22, 2006 11:49 PM