Albert Nerenberg's Escape to Canada
2003 Documentary Film Examines Same-Sex Marriage, Easy Pot Laws
Mar 24, 2009
Director Albert Nerenberg, whose past docs include the indie hit Stupidity, takes a closer look at the “Summer of Legalization” in this documentary boasting Canada’s advancement with progressive politics.
The True Land of the Free
On June 10, 2003, two decisions were made in Toronto courtrooms that would change the world’s view of Canada. Same-sex marriage became legal and the prohibition of marijuana was suspended.
Although both would turn out to be temporary changes, the movements displayed Canada as a revolutionary country. Within months, Canada re-criminalized marijuana and a campaign surfaced to turn back gay marriage. But the two controversies would first distance Canada from the U.S.
While President Bush was leading the war on Iraq and Americans were torn on the Drug War and same-sex marriage issues, Canada was quickly becoming a hot destination for people looking for freedom and equality. Gays and lesbians from around the world, many from the States, were traveling to Canada to get married and tourists were visiting Vancouver, or “Vansterdam”, to check out the pot cafés.
Canada’s refusal to join Bush’s war also distanced the country from its southern neighbour. U.S. soldiers going AWOL began sneaking across the border to avoid a war they were now seeing as futile.
In Escape to Canada, Nerenberg portrays a cool, forward-thinking country; Canada is not boring, even though it is led by “The Baron of Boring,” Stephen Harper.
Moments that Made a Difference
In the midst of all the controversy and celebration, two events were taking place in Canada that would reinforce the “Summer of Legalization.”
A couple, known as the Michaels, made international news when they became the first gay couple to get married in Canada. They became icons in their hometown of Toronto and appeared in that year’s gay pride parade.
Marc Emery, a pro-marijuana activist and self-proclaimed “Prince of Pot,” began traveling the country to protest Canada’s pot laws. He would blatantly smoke enormous joints in public and challenge the police to arrest him.
The Latest on the Legalization of Marijuana and Same-sex Marriage
In 2005, Emery, who had been selling pot seeds throughout Canada and the United States, was arrested. His business, "Marc Emery Direct Marijuana Seeds," mailed seeds from Vancouver, B.C. to people who made orders online, including Americans. There were no U.S.-based employees and Emery and his associates never crossed the border.
The U.S. government wants to have Marc Emery, Michelle Rainey, and Greg Williams, also known as the BC3, extradited to the States to be charged with conspiracy to produce marijuana, conspiracy to traffic marijuana, and conspiracy to launder the proceeds of crime.
Although the U.S. government has described Emery as a drug dealer, he has never sold any marijuana. The extradition hearing is scheduled for June 1-5th, 2009 and the BC3 could face 10 years to life in U.S. prison.
The cultivation of cannabis is currently illegal in Canada, with the exception of medical usage. However, the use of marijuana is broadly tolerated and a there is still a campaign underway to legalize cannabis in Canada.
Also, in 2005, Canada became the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage.
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