Letter to Honourable Rob Nicholson

Dear Honourable Rob Nicholson,

I am writing to you today to express my frustration at the governments way of managing the case of Marc Emery. We need to not only be sovereign from other countries which includes the power of the USA but also have to be scientific in our approach to regulating marijuana.

By supporting prohibition you are not only supporting your citizens being forced to consume higher risk psychoactive substances then cannabis, supporting organized crime and continued power to the corporate powers selling alcohol (false advertising saying alcohol is entirely safe - try working in a detox for 2 years, addiction to it isn't even close to safe. Please consider that by having all psychoactive drugs sold the way they are being it is harming the people you are trying to provide Justice for and this includes tobacco and alcohol. It is great to see the change to covering up the names of brands to youth to the public.

I am a law abiding citizen and in fact just took the LSAT last month. I also happen to be a medicinal medical marijuana user (thus making me not a law-abiding citizen - arrest me if you must), concurrent disorder specialist, substance use and harm reduction consultant who is starting a company providing services to lawyers on how to help include the law with their conditions along with taking full consideration of the client's disability. I have 15 years of eduction on mental health and addiction issues along with 27 years of being a mental health services consumer, my first time was when I was 7 years old. My parents thought my talking about wanting to die wasn't normal and they were right. I have been diagnosed with everything under the sun including the very serious and life-threatening, Bipolar Disorder and psychotic episodes. I have 19 years of experience with pharmaceuticals and still do need them but still use marijuana as that old reliable friend I know is there if my mind goes bendy and I need to think about protecting myself as what I have is life-threatening but my marijuana use isn't to help myself isn't. I can't just shut off my mental health problems although I have tried. I can manage my brain disorder but sadly, this does involve using drugs and marijuana is the safest that I am on. I have all of my doctors full support with my continued use.

I want to tell you this personal information as I am "coming out of the closet" as being a psychoactive substance and mental health services consumer as maybe then it can put some emotion to this plea for Marc. I also want to stress, I am a professional in the mental health and addiction field and I worked on the DTES for 4 years with the worst addicts in Canada. I loved them and they loved me. I wonder what would have happened to these people if they could have had access to effective and respectful treatment. That is my goal with my business, Smart Brain Industries. I do not condone drug addiction or abuse but I do condemn the assumption that all drug use (illicit) is wrong. It isn't even if it isn't for medical purposes as this can be beneficial too. Anything recreational is good for our health, no? Why play games then or engage in hobbies? If all drug use harmed then yes, it would make sense to have all psychoactive drugs illegal but this isn't the case. It lands on a spectrum and most people if not about 80% of people who choose to use any drug, do it with little harm to themselves or others. However, the prohibition of the substance makes the harm more likely as unknown dose or substance is consumed thus leaving the user powerless even if they normally wouldn't have experienced any harm.

Mental illness and marijuana for some may not go together but neither does alcohol and some people. We all react badly to some substances but this doesn't make it bad for the other people to use it, just we have to be careful. Almost like an allergy to it. We don't outlaw peanuts from being sold in grocery stores but we do control it very closely on its distribution, production and treatment for problems when they arise. Every substance on this planet has its advantageous and disadvantageous. We need to regulate drugs in a manner that takes science into consideration along with the rights of individuals in comparison to the protection of society. The use of marijuana is very safe in comparison to other products available on any market as even with marijuana illicit, it still has never killed one person ever on this planet unlike our legal commonly used psychoactive drugs. How is this possible considering even legal drugs kill people like Aspirin and Tylenol?

Please keep Marc in Canada. He not only is not a criminal but a successful entrepreneur who did great things for the economy and culture of Canada. I have had the pleasure of meeting him a few times and he would never hurt a sole. In addition, he even declared his income and never lied to the Canadian government about what he was doing. He is a brave man who deserves our support now as he needs it desperately. Another reason I am so compelled to write about this subject is that the USA is currently a country that is beginning to lose its grasp on how to treat its own citizens. I am worried that Marc will disappear in that system as many other individuals have done in that country. If you feel that yes, he broke the law, he needs to serve his time to society, that is of course, the law and I can understand it. However, keep him in Canada please. He needs to be in a country that will be safe and we can keep very close watch of his whereabouts.

Even if you disagree with Marc's use of marijuana or selling of it of its seeds, it doesn't make it harmful to society. His actions have benefited Canada. Please see this. He is a Hero in this country. He deserves to be protected from the USA's assault of power on other countries. We do not go into their country to get criminals that sell guns to criminals yet how many gun manufactures are there in USA?

You and I both know that Marc Emery never hurt anybody. We have murders and rapists and fraudulent individuals walking away with millions of dollars without so much of a scratch yet Marc is not only being put in jail but in the USA which is not the Canadian system. Why does he need to go to USA to do his time?

Sincerely,

Colleen Fish
604-561-2142
SMART BRAIN Industries
New Westminster, BC