12/21/17
THANK YOU so much! Thank you to the many people who have asked how to send support, and requested this fundraiser. I never expected anyone to give anything, and I haven’t asked the public for assistance, yet I’ve been overwhelmed with messages from kind people who desire to send contributions. Thank You.
Some notes about this GoFundMe fundraiser:
The target goal is set to a maximum of $25,000.
My fine is nearly $200,000.
Marc’s fine is nearly $200,000.
The Victim Surcharge Fee itself is $90,000 between us, $45,000 each.
So this $25,000 fundraiser will go straight to the Victim Surcharge Fee on my fine, which is money that actually goes to help real victims of real crimes. I take solace with that knowledge.
THANK YOU to the many people who are contributing because they want to, and choose to, out of their own kindness and generosity. Of course, I will work extremely hard (as always) to find a way to pay for the fine on my own, because the penalty is 4.5 years in prison if I don’t pay the total in 2 years. I have to find a way, and I will. In the meantime, compassionate supporters are asking for this GoFundMe because they wish to give back.
Many have said we’ve given donations to them or helped in some way in the past, while others want to show some kindness because they know how hard we’ve worked for everyone’s freedom; they know we’ve been persecuted and made to suffer for so long. They know how we were struggling with court and extradition and U.S. prison costs from 2005-2016. They know we have been though extremely hard times but still campaigned, advocated & pushed for change all the while. They know that we survived and came back stronger than ever to fight for our cannabis community members and prohibition victims.
From what I’ve heard from those who have pitched in, our long-standing dedicated passion for freeing our fellow people & our plant is the reason why we’re being shown support. The kindness comes from fellow community members, and even people who don’t consume cannabis but who believe in freedom and activism.
I’m beyond grateful for the people who want to give back to us. They asked us how to help because they know Marc donated millions of dollars to patients, court cases, rallies, election campaigns, and more activism efforts in the movement from 1994 to 2005 (when his seed business was closed, and we were struggling through prison and court costs from 2005-2016).
For the brief 5 months that Marc ran his own Cannabis Culture shop on Church Street, he gave hundreds of thousands of dollars away to various charities, activists, and pot prisoners in the USA. He gave to organizations of all kinds, not just cannabis-related. He gave of himself with the money he made because that’s always been Marc’s reason for making money: to give it away, to finance the movement, to help those in need. That’s how and why he became famous in the first place, and it’s what he’s been punished for before, with 5 years in U.S. prison.
I never imagined people would want to give financial support in these difficult times, but I’ve been inundated with messages of love and kindness and encouragement. THANK YOU so much to the donors on this fundraiser – please take comfort knowing that even though this shockingly large fine is unjust, all of the money raised here is going towards victims of crime, for the Victim Surcharge Fee. And I have faith that I will find a way to pay for the remainder. It’s my cost to bear, and mine alone, so I give thanks to those who don’t want to see me bear it alone.
I promise I will not let my activism stop. I promise to keep peacefully campaigning for everyone involved with cannabis to have freedom, equality, dignity & amnesty. I won’t abandon those who need our help, now or in the future. I’m here for this civil liberties cause, because that’s what it’s all about.
Bless you all, and best wishes for the New Year ahead!
Love and light,
Jodie Emery