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Letter to UVSS Hempology 101 Club
By Ted | February 24, 2004
Dear University of Victoria Students,
On Tuesday, March 30th, I will appear before a Provincial Court Judge to defend myself after being arrested on the University
of Victoria Campus on November 8th, 2000 and charged with trafficking and possession for the purpose of trafficking in cannabis.
Under pressure from university officials, Saanich police sent undercover officers to the UVSS Hempology 101 Club’s weekly
4:20 where they pretended to be students, one officer faked a toke when a joint came around to him and he put the roach
in his pocket to use as evidence.
The arrest occurred after the meeting in the parking lot, so few students actually witnessed the police and university security administration
charge me and ban me from campus. However, anyone who was at the meeting could appear with me in court to admit that everyone
shared cannabis at the 4:20 and that I was not the only source of the herb on that day.
In court my lawyer, Robert Moore-Stewart will argue that the state and police have violated sections 1, 2, 7, 9, 11 and 15 of the Canadian
Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the creation and implementation of the cannabis prohibition laws while arresting me on November 8th, 2000.
Expert witnesses Dr. James Geiwitz and sociology professor Jim Hackler will provide evidence to the court that the prohibition of cannabis is
irrational, unnecessary and leads to disrespect towards the rule of law. The fact that sharing a cannabis joint or cookie with an individual
suffering from serious medical needs is subject to such severe punishments makes the law appear to be grossly disproportionate
when compared to other criminal acts which have real victims. We also intend upon proving the law is arbitrary in nature
and that in this particular case the police treated me more harshly than any activist in Canadian history.
The situation becomes more complicated by the fact that I have been arrested several times since Nov. 8, 2000 and now
face 4 trials in 3 months. The first trial, though, on March 30 is when most of the constitutional issues will be
presented in court, and if we win then, the trafficking laws in Canada could be struck down.
If you were a witness to the Nov. 8, 2000 Hempology 101 meeting please contact me at (250) 381-3262 or through
these webpages: www.hempology.com and www.tedsmith.ca. Thanks to everyone who has supported Hempology 101 and I
look forward to returning to campus after these laws have been struck down.
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