*Update: Jan 21nd.The hearing has been postponed until feb 6th.

Just like the American War on Terror, the American War on Drugs is a global war that reaches far beyond the borders. We Canadians have felt the effect in a very sad way, Canadian marijuana icon, activist and hero has been the center of a long running controversy with the American DEA, I've posted about this issue many times before and now I can tell you the Extradition hearing is going to begin on January 21st.

Here is the latest from the CBC National, aired January 15th. (Watch just to see Terry Milewski reporting from a bong shop.)

I understand this issue is getting no media time in the United States, putting people in jail for smoking a harmless weed is nothing new for you guys, right?

US Marijuana Arrests by Year
2004: 771,608
2003: 755,187
2002: 697,082
2001: 723,627
2000: 734,498
1999: 704,812
1998: 682,885
1997: 695,200
1996: 641,642
1995: 588,963
1994: 499,122
1993: 380,689

Marc Emery is getting lots of press up here in Canada, not to mention lots of positive editorials, like this sampling from todays The London Free Press, you can find many more articles about this case on Google News. When looking for background on this I recommend watching the documentaries by CBC and 60 Minutes.

Marc and his wife Jodie uploaded a message about the latest extradition news and it's posted below, if you want to find out ways to support the Emery's and their cause visit the noextradition.net.

I blogged earlier about Canadian Marc Emery and his arrest by the DEA which will send him to America to possibly spend the rest of his life life in prison for selling Marijuana seeds over the internet. In the previous post I mentioned an upcoming documentary, which has now been aired in Canada and is posted below for your observations.

The way that U.S. federal charges for drug offenses are contsructed means that Emery could face up to 2000 life sentences for his heinous crime of selling marijuana seeds. The DEA also lists Marc Emery as one of the top drug traffickers in the world, above groups like the Hell's Angels and the Triads. At this point in North American society marijuana is still considered as dangerous as heroin and cocaine. On this point, the DEA and the RCMP are in agreement that "there is no such thing as a hard and soft drug." That's a bunch of malarkey.

Type "Marijuana seeds" into the Google and you will find options to buy seeds online from Canada, America and all over the world. The DEA wanted Emery because he funds marijuana legalization groups. Could be he, perhaps, be a political prisoner?

Either way, this case is a major issue in Canada in regards to our own sovereignty. When Marc goes to prison in America we will never see him again and many are asking to see the bodies that justify 2000 life sentences. Here is a preview clip before you commit to the whole documentary (which appears on the flip side of this post.)

The Marc Emery extradition case may not be important news in the USA, here in Canada it's a become a hot topic centered around us maintaining our sovereignty. In July 2005 the long arm of the DEA reached up into Canada to pluck out three BC natives and is threatening to put them into prison for life for doing something that would get them no more then a ticket up here: selling marijuana seeds.

Alternet used the DEA cheif's words to explain the arrest.

In her bizarre press release of July 29, DEA chief Karen Tandy left little doubt as to why they singled out Emery's operation. "Today's DEA arrest of Marc Scott Emery, publisher of Cannabis Culture magazine, and the founder of a marijuana legalization group -- is a significant blow not only to the marijuana trafficking trade in the U.S. and Canada, but also the marijuana legalization movement," it begins, adding: "Hundreds of thousands of dollars of Emery's illicit profits are known to have been channeled to marijuana legalization groups in the United States and Canada. Drug legalization lobbyists now have one less pot of money to rely on."

Jodie Emery (Marc's wife) often uploads videos to YouTube that detail what Marc has been going through the last two years (the case is still stuck in limbo until Jan '08.) The video today is an interview with documentary filmmaker Nick Wilson who just completed a documentary about Marc Emery that will air on the CBC later this month. Note that Marc and Jodie are constantly taking bong hits while Nick seriously attempts to explain the importance of the film to the YouTube audience. To me, this adds a comical effect to the video.

The signs of a Conservative government in Canada can be seen in the news this week as the Tories will soon unveil a $64 Million drug plan that is expected to include stiffer penalties for drug offenders. Below is a quick news snippet that includes an interview with Canada's "Prince of Pot."

While googling this topic I came across this Alternet article about the American War on Drugs, which starts with these mind blowing statistics.

What would cops do without weed? For one thing, they'd sure spend a lot less time arresting and processing petty pot violators. How much time? For starters, however long it took to bust the estimated 739,000 Americans arrested for minor pot possession in 2006.
That's according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, which reported last week that a record 829,625 Americans were arrested for violating marijuana laws last year. Of those arrested, 89 percent of those were charged with simple pot possession -- the highest annual total ever recorded and nearly three times the number of citizens busted 15 years ago.

So it sounds like the Harper government is trying to bring a USA-style "War on Drugs" to Canada. I ask the Americans here on AOL: