Well, since the thread's been resurrected anyway.....
In the grand scheme of things, this is a good thing. Yes, Emery's a shameless self-promoter, but that's exactly what's needed to make any kind of change on this issue. Pot WILL be legal, it's only a matter of time. Incidents like this only add momentum to the argument - the more that he gets the issue in the papers, the more that non-tokers will see what's going on. This whole stinking mess marks the very first time that we have have people saying that, even though they disagree with smoking personally, what was done here was a basic violation of his liberty. No self-respecting constitutionalist on either side of the 49th can tolerate that because it's the thin edge of the wedge. Where does it stop ?
Let's face face it, the ONLY thing that will get Harpo re-elected is if Iggy is the only alternative. That said, he will NEVER hold a majority government. If the Greens get a few more seats, then a liberal Green/NDP coalition will have the power to do some real politicking. In the end it all comes down to us - if you are concerned that we are heading down the "jail him to shut him up" road that saw Tommy and Marc locked up, then do something about it. Don't just write to your MP, they are the only ones that read it and, if they are not on board then your letter will die a silent death.
Get out in your community: if you spark one up in front of city hall, you will be busted. If 100 light up in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery, you will be monitored but left to your own devices. This is where we need people who are not just stoners - I say that lovingly ;^) - but people who are passionate about the fact that this prohibition is an unjustified law that (at the very least) shouldn't be enforced.
We do have to be sensitive to the political fact that there are people who have made an entire career out of the other side of this fight. These people have the ear of the decision makers and policy setters, so the ONLY way to make a change is through the only loyalty any politician has: getting re-elected.
As I see it, the issue is education: non-tokers trust the prohibitionist line because they don't look into the arguments for and against. Like it or not, professed non-tokers are the vocal majority. If the issue is brought to light as a civil liberties issue, the stakes change. I would like to see a charter challenge over this in our Supreme Court, but our judiciary is obviously not willing to let it get to that point: that's why the DEA had to do their own witch hunt.
If we can reach out to those who aren't part of the culture and show them what's actually at stake, we'll go a long way toward the useless criminalization of ordinary citizens FOR NO GOOD REASON.
Sorry for the rant, this whole thing just burns my ass.