Kristina Mameli acting news editor ‘ y ancouver’s own “Prince of Pot,” Marc Emery, turned himself in to authorities at the B.C. Supreme Court Monday. He currently sits in a Port Coquitlam penitentiary awaiting extradition to the U.S. to begin a five- year sentence for selling marijuana seeds to Americans. Nothing will be done until Justice Minister Rob Nicholson signs Emery’s extradition order, which could take anywhere from two weeks to two months. Emery, 51, has been fighting extradition since 2005, when he and two others were indicted on conspiracy to distribute marijuana and conspiracy to engage in money laundering. Both of those charges were dropped in exchange for his guilty plea on the charge of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana in connection with his $3 million- a-year catalogue business between 1998 and 2005. U.S. officials agreed to allow him to serve his time in Canada, but Ottawa rejected that proposal. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration even admitted that Emery’s extradition was politically motivated in a press release issued on July 29, 2005. At a press conference just before he tured himself in, Emery voiced his disgust for the Conservative government’s lack of support. “As a Canadian being sent abroad for an activity I did here in Vancouver, I have to say I’m disappointed in my government; a little disappointed in my country. But I remain a very positive and proud Canadian patriot and I’m proud of my overgrow the government revolution.” He has taken the five year bargain and turned himself in just one of many” “This government does not stand up for Canadians at home, they do not stand up for Canadians abroad and my husband is #!/ow him to serve —Jodie Emery, wife of Marc Emery willingly in order to avoid a potential 30 year to life sentence abroad. A post on Emery’s Facebook page says, “I am in jail at North Fraser Pre-trial Centre as of September 28th, and my wife Jodie is posting the updates I give her. The Justice Minister of Canada has to extradite me before I go to US. prison, tell him to not extradite me! www.CannabisCulture. com” NDP Leader Jack Layton and MPs Libby Davies and Bill Siksay have written letters to the Justice Minister calling Emery’s extradition “wrong” and encouraging the Conservatives to his time in Canada. A visibly distraught Jodie Emery told CBC News that the Conservative government “refused to protect my husband, a Canadian citizen, and they’re sending him to a foreign country. This government does not stand up for Canadians at home, they do not stand up for Canadians abroad and my husband is just one of many—I am one of many who are suffering from this. It’s pain inflicted by a prohibition that doesn’t make any sense.” A vigil for the incarcerated marijuana activist will be held at the North Fraser Pre-Trial Centre in Port Coquitlam from 12-6 p.m. every day until Emery is either freed or extradited. Douglas College Wrap-Up By Kristina Mameli - OnePassNow follow-up On October 7 at 11 a.m. in the DSU upper U PISSED lounge, the DSU will hold an info session ABOUT regarding the progress eka of the OnePassNow campaign. The campaign calls for a $25 universal U-Pass for all metro Vancouver students. Douglas, Emily Carr, and VCC’s Student Unions as well as the UBC Alma Mater Society are working together towards this goal and are asking for ideas and volunteers to help steer the campaign in the right direction. By-election for Education Council The Education Council is looking for one student registered in 50 per cent or more of their courses at the New Westminster Campus to represent the campus due to a resignation on the Council. The Council meets 10 times per year on the third Monday of every month at 4:15 p.m. For more information, visit: http://www.douglas. be.ca/employees/education-council/education- council-elections.html. Please submit nominations to the acting registrar, Brenda Walton, by October 14. myDouglas outage For web maintenance and upgrades, myDouglas, Blackboard and Self-Service will be offline starting October 22 at 4:30 p.m. until October 26 at 8:30 a.m. _ If you have any questions please call or email the Help Desk hatte sieies reese : douglas.bc.ca. : New studies hopeful of stretching H1N1 vaccine benefits British girl dies shortly after receiving HPV vaccine By Tanya Colledge, Staff Reporter j R= studies from clinical trials published in The New England ournal of Medicine (NEJM) have shed some positive light on the current : HINI pandemic— offering a possible solution to stretch the limited supplies of HIN1 vaccines available to the public. Taking into consideration that the virus will mostly likely peak in October, before the vaccine is ready, and that health care officials have decided to give immunization priority to children, elderly and pregnant women, there is concern that there will not be enough of the vaccine to go around. The preliminary data from the trials published in NEJM have concluded that a single dose of the vaccine is enough to produce protective antibodies in most adults that would ensure them a lifelong immunity against the virus. During the last “swine flu” outbreak in 1976, an estimated 43 million Americans were vaccinated against the virus. As a result, those who received the vaccine in 1976 are still protected against the virus, enabling healthcare workers to stretch the benefits of the vaccine to those currently most at risk of infection—children and the elderly. In the meantime, as studies continue to 4 emp i 2 RR a TS a OEE a develop on whether or not an HIN1 vaccine will soon be made available to the public, healthcare officials are working diligently to lower transmission rates amongst the general public. They recommend frequent hand washing with soap and water as the simplest way to avoid coming in contact with the virus, and advise anyone who has recently become ill with a common cold to stay at home and avoid coming in contact with others. Post-mortem exams reveal a serious underlying medical condition By Kristina Mameli, News Editor atalie Morton, a 14-year-old British Ne from Coventry, 160 km outside of London, died suddenly mere hours after she was vaccinated with an HPV vaccine at her school. She died in hospital shortly after receiving the Cervarix vaccine, a vaccine that helps prevent cervical cancer. “Preliminary post mortem examinations have stifled fears that her death may have been caused by the vaccine.” Preliminary post mortem examinations have stifled fears that her death may have been caused by the vaccine. They revealed ‘that Morton had a serious underlying medical condition that was more likely to have caused her death. Health officials are still urging the public to continue with the controversial vaccine, despite the widespread sentiment that the vaccine encourages younger girls to become sexually active. Cervarix has not yet been approved in Canada. Health Canada is reviewing an application and is expected to make a decision in early 2010. Instead, Canada uses a different vaccine, Gardasil by Merck Frosst. Two million doses of Gardasil have been administered in Canada, each requiring three shots. It is incredibly rare for anyone to die from such a vaccine, though reactions to active ingredients and preservatives do occur often. British health officials have quarantined the batch of vaccine that was given to the teen until the inquest into her death is complete. HPV, or the human papilloma virus, can affect both women and men and is spread through sexual contact. In Canada, approximately 1,350 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, while about 400 women die. This vaccination is recommended for women aged nine to 26, before they become sexually active.