VANCOUVER, B.C. - A New York artist who sought refugee status in Canada
after being arrested in a medical marijuana investigation in California has
been ordered to return to the United States.
Renee Danielle Boje can still appeal the extradition order that was granted
Wednesday in British Columbia Supreme Court, and she won't be returned to
Los Angeles County for "quite some considerable period of time," said her
lawyer, John Conroy.
"It would be unjust and oppressive to send a young woman like this back
into the clutches of the United States to be dealt with by the U.S. federal
government," Conroy said.
The order is subject to automatic review by Canadian Justice Minister Anne
McLellan, whose decision is then subject to court review.
Boje, 30, who claims to be a victim of political persecution in the United
States, was released on bond of nearly $3,500.
Her passport and birth certificate have been confiscated and she cannot
work in Canada.
She faces at least 10 years in prison if convicted on the drug
manufacturing, distribution and conspiracy charges in California.
Boje is one of several medical-marijuana advocates who were arrested in
1997 after investigators found thousands of marijuana plants at a Bel Air
mansion and three other leased locations.
Officers saw her and another woman watering some of the pot plants and also
observed her smoking a pot pipe, according to police reports.
Police say they planned to sell their crops to the Los Angeles Cannabis
Buyers Club, which has dispensed marijuana since Californians voted in 1996
to legalize it for medical use.
The state's Proposition 215 allows the personal use of marijuana for
medical purposes, but pot growing and use remains taboo under federal law.
