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Drugs

Activist Who Mailed a Gram of Pot to Liberal MPs Arrested in Calgary

Dana Larsen was arrested Wednesday night at a seeds giveaway event.

Just a dude who loves his seeds. Photo via Facebook.

Longtime Vancouver weed activist Dana Larsen, who recently sent a gram of pot to each of the 184 Liberal MPs, was arrested in Calgary on Wednesday night while hosting a seeds giveaway event.

Larsen is currently making his way across the country on his OverGrow Canada tour; his plan is to hand out one million pot seeds to anyone who wishes to grow a "victory garden."

About 150 people turned out to the event, held at a Days Inn in the city. When Larsen stepped outside holding seeds in his hand, he was arrested by Calgary police for "drug trafficking."

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Calgary was only the second stop on Larsen's tour.

A Calgary police Facebook post says "under the Canadian Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, it is illegal to distribute marijuana in any form regardless of whether payment is provided." The cops are set to host a press conference about the arrest sometime Thursday.

Speaking to the CBC, fellow activist Cindy Heemeryck, said she's more upset police seized the group's van "with all our goods in there."

"People are waiting all across Canada for their seed packages and now the police have them seized in our van as well as some medicinal cannabis, which was mine."

Larsen previously said the point out of the tour is to normalize weed.

"It is civil disobedience against the unjust pot prohibition laws that has gotten us to the verge of legalization."

Despite legalization pending under the new federal Liberal government, cops are continuing to enforce current marijuana laws.

Both Trees Dispensary on Vancouver Island and Chilliwack, BC's WeeMedical were targeted by RCMP this week. Officers raided Trees Wednesday afternoon, confiscating all money, flowers, and concentrates, but they left behind edibles. Branch manager Ben Hinton was also arrested and released without being charged.

In a statement, Alex Robb, community liaison for Trees, said he believes the RCMP left behind the edibles to give medical marijuana patients access to them.

"I think this is an acknowledgement by the RCMP that access to edible marijuana products is fundamental to patients' rights to effective medicine," he said.

"Products like our high-CBD caramels are health products, cannabidiol-infused products [that] have practically no mood or mind-altering narcotic effects. When people take cannabidiol they do not get high, their symptoms are relieved, and they feel better."

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