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Kubbys Must Leave Canada
"I don't want our daughters to see what US law enforcement will do to their father."

Dale Gieringer canorml.org

Vancouver, British Columbia Jan 24, 2006 -- American cancer patient and medical marijuana refugee, Steve Kubby and his family have been ordered to leave Canada on or before Thursday, January 26th.

Steve Kubby said, "The Immigration Ministry claims that its departure orders are not subject to appeal, but we're still trying to get a court to simply grant us our due process and allow us to appeal."

If the appeal is not successful, the Kubbys will all have to leave Canada no later than Thursday (January 26), according to Rachel James, Immigration Enforcement Officer.

Placer County Assistant District Attorney Chris Cattran told the Auburn Journal on January 6th that Kubby would be arrested and jailed for at least 120 days, and possibly much longer. Nonetheless, on January 9th, Immigration Counsel Keith Reimer told Justice Yvon Pinard that Kubby faced no risk of arrest if he is forced to return, and Pinard ignored Cattran's statement and ruled accordingly last Friday.

If he is forced to leave, Steve Kubby will fly directly to San Francisco, where he will be greeted by both US law enforcement and California medical marijuana activists, including representatives of California NORML. Every effort will be made to keep Kubby from being forced to return to Placer County.

In his testimony to a Canadian Refugee hearing in April of 2003, Cattran said that Placer County had arranged for two "specialists" to fly in and testify at Kubby's trial that Kubby didn't really have cancer, but if he did, cannabis was contraindicated and would just make his condition worse. Of course, neither doctor had ever seen Steve Kubby, and the leading cancer specialist in BC had just testified to the contrary. Because of this attitude, Kubby's friends and family believe that his life will be in great danger there.

Consequently, Michele Kubby and their two daughters will not be flying down. They will drive to California, instead.

"I don't want our daughters to see what US law enforcement will do to their father. How can you explain to children that their father is going to be murdered by their government because he uses a medicine that it doesn't like?" she asked.

Mrs. Kubby added, "Today is election day in Canada and tomorrow all of the Ministers who can prevent Steve's life from being endangered will be free to act and do the right thing. I hope that all our friends, especially in Canada, will call the Ministers and urge them to stop this injustice."

* Joe Volpe, Minister of Immigration, Voice: (613) 954-1064,
Fax: (613) 957-2688
* Ujjal Dosanjh, Minister of Health, Voice: (613) 995-7052, Fax:
(613) 995-2962
* Irwin Cotler, Minister of Justice, (613) 992-4621, Fax: (613) 990-7522
* Anne McLellan, Deputy Prime Minister, (613) 991-2924, Fax: (613) 952-2240
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