Why are Marc Emery, Jodie Emery, and Dana Larsen banned from Russia? It has to do with Russia’s war on cannabis.
Of course, according to official Russian records, they’re banned because of their involvement in cannabis activism, journalism, and the B.C. Marijuana Party.
So what would be in their dossiers?
The Russian leadership is no fan of cannabis. And they’re not big on civil disobedience either. So little wonder they included what is likely Canada’s three most well-known cannabis activists when looking to pad their Canadian ban list.
“It is a weird thing for sure,” Dana Larsen tells CLN. “I can’t imagine anything in that dossier that isn’t public information.”
Russia’s War on Cannabis
Despite the harsh treatment of Brittney Griner, Russia’s war on cannabis isn’t as strict as, say, Singapore.
In Singapore, rulers have administered the death penalty to cannabis dealers.
In Russia, if caught with six grams of cannabis or less, you might get detained for a couple of weeks. A lot depends on how strict the police want to be. Only more significant amounts are a criminal offence.
While the entire country has a history of hemp cultivation, the parts of Russia in Central Asia have a history of cannabis consumption.
Russian colonists and cossacks picked up the habit from the locals. But by 1934, Soviet Russia added cannabis to its list of banned substances.
Hemp remained heavily regulated, as was everything else in the Soviet Union. It was a nation without private enterprise, and it was a disaster.
Therefore, Russians have relied on black markets for a long time. Today, 93% of their cannabis comes from Kazakhstan.
And while data is hard to obtain, Russia’s war on cannabis seems to be a success.
Cannabis use is not as widespread as it is in other countries. That said, 2018 saw the first ever Global Marijuana March held in Saint Petersburg.
Russia’s War on Cannabis: Dana Larsen
Part of Russia’s war on cannabis involves its propaganda laws. That’s why the ’18 Global Marijuana March had to be careful about its signage.
There were no large banners or giant posters of Marc Emery or Bob Marley.
With Russia’s war on cannabis, activists like Dana Larsen have no reason to visit.
“Wasn’t planning on visiting Russia any time soon anyways,” Dana tells CLN. “It’s odd to be on a relatively short list that includes Trudeau and other very high profile Canadians. I don’t feel like banning me will result in any changes to Canada’s support for Ukraine.”
Dana’s also banned from the United States for his cannabis activism.
How to End the War Before the War Ends Us
Elon Musk had some suggestions on how to end the Ukraine-Russian war. He created a poll on Twitter. It did not go well. A majority voted against his suggested peaceful resolutions.
Par course for the masses. Since the beginning of the war, the corporate press has been beating the drum that this invasion was “unprovoked.”
Which camp do you fall in? “Ukraine = good” or “All sides = bad?” Does it matter?
The fact remains: world leaders need to chill out. Smoke some weed. Drop some acid.
I’m taking god-tier doses of the best psychedelics on the market.
I’m serious.
Obviously, don’t leave the nuclear launch codes within reach while they’re tripping balls. Lock them up somewhere safe (two weeks to flatten their aggression), and they’ll return less warlike.
And why stop at world leaders? Elon Musk is the tech billionaire the left loves to hate. Jeff Bezos isn’t well received, either. But why?
What about the large corporations of the military-industrial complex? I’m supposed to hate Amazon and Tesla, why?
Russia’s war on cannabis is unjustified, just like every drug war nation-states wage on their citizens.
Russia’s justification for its war on cannabis is that cannabis consumption leads to long-term psychological problems.
But I’d argue not smoking cannabis leads to long-term nuclear war problems. Therefore, somebody close to Putin and Biden must put LSD in their drinks.
I’m not kidding.
Human civilization depends on it.