The Prince of Pot Says Goodbye to Canada
July 7th, 2009 by Rick
The Prince of Pot, Marc Emery, is saying goodbye to Canada by way of a “fairwell tour”, scheduled to make its mark in 32 cities, before he is extradited to the U.S. for selling cannabis seeds to U.S. customers.
On Sunday, Emery began the tour in Calgary saying:
I’m being taken to a U.S. prison for something I did in Canada as innocuous as selling seeds, which don’t even have any drug quality, and yet I have to face a five year term for that. [...] It’s difficult to say what will happen in a U.S. federal penitentiary. It’s never very pleasant. American jails aren’t run nearly as well as Canadian jails. [...] I’m going away for a long time so I expect everybody to do their best and pick up the slack for me.
Emery is referring to the fight coming up in form of bill C-15, a federal bill that would impose mandatory minimum sentences for marijuana in Canada. The bill has already passed the House of Commons and it is now in the hands of the Senate. Emery advises activists to back the NDP, the Bloc, and the Green Party — all pro-cannabis political parties.
Emery’s fairwell tour continues in Saskatoon on Wednesday and Edmonton on Thursday.
Prince of Pot Still Awaits Fate
June 1st, 2009 by Rick
U.S. drug officials call him one of the top 50 drug traffickers in the world, having been attributed to helping $2.2 billion worth of pot being grown. Marc Emery, the self-proclaimed Prince of Pot, has had a target on his back since the last days that his company, Emery Seeds, had been selling cannabis seeds via mail order to buyers world-wide.
I had a very good reason for selling those seeds. [...] I wanted to defeat the U.S. war on drugs.
Two of his employees had already plead guilty for their involvement and both are awaiting sentencing in July, where two years probation was recommended. It’s apparent that they didn’t want the little fish, just Moby Dick.
After being arrested 21 times and going to jail another 17, you’d think Emery would lay low. Still being an activist and involving himself politically on the front of marijuana legalization, Emery, leader of the Overgrow the Government movement, is a big whale, perhaps one of the largest out there.
Emery is also ready to become a martyr to the cause:
Dying as a victim of the state’s cruelty would really help a person like me. The way you die is very important. [...] Martin Luther King was killed and that’s very important to his legacy.
Emery agreed that he would plead guilty in Seattle to one count of distributing marijuana if all other counts are dismissed. Apparently the U.S. District Attorney is gunning for a sentence of five to eight years in a U.S. prison. Emery thinks August will be the magic date and after his sentencing, he’s planning on having all his supporters rally to have him be moved to a Canadian prison.
British Columbia’s Cultural Cannabis Crusade
May 14th, 2009 by Russ
With swine flu subsiding to our south, Weed Fever seems to be taking hold in our northern neighbor. As reported by the BBC, this week, the Canadian weed machine is quickly becoming a thorn in the side of the United States.
The piece above first depicts Canadian Mounties (unfortunately not in their official crimson regalia) frantically erradicating weed crops in the Canadian wilderness. Some of the grow fields depicted are as vast as three football fields. Watching this piece gives one the sense that our entire northern border is little more than a Mystical Psychedelic Forest full of happily stoned hockey elves and talking moose.
To make matters worse (or better, depending on your position) British Columbia has a sanctioned Marijuana Party headed by weed activist and fugitive, Marc Emery. The piece shows the BCMP disseminating joints like lollipops to amused spectators.
Two B.C. Citizens Plead Guilty in U.S. Court
May 5th, 2009 by Rick
Two former employees of Marc Emery — Michelle Rainey, 38, and Gregory Keith Williams pled guilty in a Seattle court for the conspiracy to manufacture marijuana. On July 17th, at their sentence hearing the U.S. Lawyers plan to recommend two years probation.
The United States Attorney’s Office says that between 2003-2005, Rainey, under Emery’s business, sold marijuana seeds and growing instructions — with three quarters of the orders going to the United States. Williams, during that time, took phone orders and sold seeds to customers at Emery’s store.
Join the 2009 Global Marijuana March
April 3rd, 2009 by Rick
A massive Marijuana March Movement is about to sweep the globe, again. So far 202 cities, worldwide have signed up for the scheduled event on Saturday, May 2nd, 2009. The Global Marijuana March of 2009 is in it’s 10th annual edition, and since 1999, almost 500 different cities have participated.
The idea behind this is numbers. Marches are a dime a dozen and occur all over the world. The goal here, and has been for the past decade, is to have all the people in favor of the movement, pour into the streets of their city, supporting the legalization of marijuana.
It’s main sponsors Cures-not-wars.org and Cannabis Culture Magazine, published by the “Prince of Pot” Marc Emery, have defined the grass roots marijuana legalization movement, just as NORML and the DPA have defined the fight on Capital Hill.
While there are plenty of great events throughout the year that celebrate the joy that this simple plant brings to both the well and the sick, the movement needs one day that is set aside for the serious work of showing the world who we really are and how many of us there are. One day when we all come together and hold our heads up high, and show the world that you can kick us down, just like you have for decades, but we won’t give up, and we’ll keep getting up, year after year on the first Saturday in May, and every year our numbers will grow, even though you kick us down again. And though they may spread their lies and violence to stop us, we will peacefully spread the truth about Cannabis, because we know, the truth always wins.
It’s interesting to note that so far 202 cities have signed up, yet since 1999 500 different cities have participated. You can see that U.S. Drug policy has stretched far and wide if less cities ultimately partake in the annual event. At any rate, visit the official website of the Global Marijuana March and find out if your city is one of those 202 cities. Contact the organizer via an included e-mail address connected with your city and learn how you can join the movement and make a difference.
‘Prince of Pot’ Says Officials Conspiring Against Him
March 27th, 2009 by Rick
Marc Emery, dubbed the “Prince of Pot” by the American media, says he is being run out of Vancouver by the City Hall and the police department. He already has a political campaign office (B.C. Marijuana Party), a magazine (Cannabis Culture) and a retail store based on West Hastings Street in downtown Vancouver, but when it comes to obtaining a license for another business (a convenience store across the street from his other businesses,) he can’t get passed the red tape.
For anyone who’s heard of Marc Emery this news isn’t so surprising. He’s apparently had a target on his back for a while — since the DEA began investigating another business of his — selling marijuana seeds on the Internet. Emery did this for a decade before he was even on the radar of the United States government. If it wasn’t for his marijuana activism, he may have even stayed under the radar.
The U.S. government claims that his seeds are responsible for over 1,000,000 pounds of pot being grown in the United States. Emery is currently fighting extradition to the United States, where he may face a long sentence in a U.S. Federal prison. The only thing with that is, the US can’t extradite a Canadian citizen for political reasons due to a clause within the extradition treaty. With Emery’s “Overgrow the Government” movement and marijuana activism it puts him in a grey area.
It’s curious to note that since zeroing in on Emery, the DEA has had offices opened in Canada, including Vancouver. They claim they have no jurisdiction and are just there in a laison capacity. Could Canada be reversing it’s stance on marijuana? If the DEA is in town, that lax attitude towards marijuana may be replaced with busting down doors and dragging people into jail. If that’s the case the tourism in the Vancouver may just come to a halt. It might become a ghost town if Emery closes his busninesses and marijuana is recriminalized under Canadian law.
In the past all the businesses were registered under the B.C. Marijuana Party, but Emery said all that has changed.
Emery said:
We’ve complied with every government order, renovation order, health order, safety order. We are completely compliant every time they have a request.
They can’t say we are a bad business, but they are just looking for every possible reason to deny us a licence to get rid of us in advance of the Olympics.
This [the Olympics] is why all this pressure is on. The police are trying to get rid of all their antagonists. This is all police-driven.
He was rejected because he has a criminal record for a marijuana-related offense. City Hall then demanded he get business licences for his other enterprises, but he was denied, Emery said. He is appealing those rulings.
We have millions of supporters. We draw thousands of tourists to this block. So in the days leading up to our licence application we are going to make sure the phones at City Hall are flooded days in advance.
Naturally, no one from Vancouver City Hall was available to comment on the case.
More on the New Drug Czar
February 13th, 2009 by Perry
The more I hear about our new director of national drug policy, Gil Kerlikowske, more I’m thinking he might not be a total disaster. Naturally, anything short of complete and utter legalization, or views more conservative than Marc Emery, and the MPP and NORML is disappointing. But there have been signs throughout Kerlikowske’s 36-year career that have shown he might not be a rank-and-file drug-war advocate.
Alison Holcomb, drug policy director for the ACLU of Washington, said Kerlikowske’s officers have “demonstrated compassion” in not arresting known growers and users in medical marijuana cases.
He recently gave his blessing to a pilot program in drug-plagued Belltown for officers to send drug users to treatment or job centers instead of jail. Treatment advocates praised Kerlikowske for setting a respectful tone emulated by the rank and file toward the city’s many innovative services for addicts.
In 2003, the chief had initially opposed Initiative 75, a measure approved by Seattle voters that made enforcement of marijuana for adult personal use the lowest priority for police and city attorneys. However, activists say he has since ordered his officers to implement the law.
These are all good signs for those holding out hope for an end to federal raids.
Global Marijuana March 2009
February 12th, 2009 by Perry
The fifth-annual Global Marijuana March is gearing up for Saturday, May 2, 2009.
In honor of the BC3 (Marc Emery, Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams) and those who have been wrongly imprisoned for marijuana use everywhere, the march is a show of solidarity for those who like to light it up.
There are already contact in over 135 cities if you would like to become involved, and directions for throwing your own pot rally.
