Man Seeking Asylum to Smoke Marijuana
Man Seeking Asylum to Smoke Marijuana
source: Associated Press Strange News
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – A former California gubernatorial candidate is seeking political asylum in Canada because he says he’ll be prosecuted for marijuana possession if he returns to the state.
Steve Kubby, 56, claims he needs to smoke marijuana at least once an hour in order to control symptoms of a rare adrenal cancer.
Canadian federal prosecutors, however, are challenging Kubby’s refugee claim and say he’s just trying to avoid jail in California on a peyote conviction.
In December 2000, Kubby was convicted in California of two drug possession charges and sentenced to four months in prison. He and his family fled to Canada after the sentence was handed down.
Then, last April the former Libertarian candidate was arrested in Canada on an immigration warrant. He faces Canadian criminal charges of production of a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Kubby applied for political refugee status soon afterward.
Kubby’s lawyer is asking for the criminal charges in British Columbia to be dropped and also wants authorities to return the family’s pot-growing equipment so they can start a new crop.
Another U.S. man in Canada, Renee Boje, has also applied for refugee status over marijuana use.
The U.S. has asked Immigration Canada to deport both Kubby and Boje.
The Canadian immigration official presiding over the asylum hearing have given Kubby hourly joint breaks.
In 1998, Kubby ran unsuccessfully for governor of California as a Libertarian. He also unsuccessfully sought the Libertarian vice presidential nomination in 2000.
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On the Net
The Kubby Files: http://www.kubby.com/
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