For almost four years, Canada’s self-titled “Prince of Pot,” Marc Emery, fought extradition and possible imprisonment in the United States for selling marijuana seeds online. Now, he is expected to be extradited any day.
Emery, who is the leader of the B.C. Marijuana Party, previously settled a plea bargain stating he would serve five years in a Canadian prison. However, the new Conservative government is no longer in favour of keeping Emery in Canada. Emerycould now face a life sentence in the United States.
In 2005, when Emery was first threatened with extradition, 58 per cent of Canadians were against the decision, according to a survey by the Strategic Counsel. This opposition is steadily growing. One voice against Emery’s extradition is Dan Grice, a Green Party member. Although he doesn’t condone Emery’s actions, he said “our citizens have the right to be protected and punished according to our legal standards, not those of other governments. This case is a clear infringement of Canadian sovereignty and sets a dangerous precedent.”The Liberals took a different stance. Daniel Lauzon, spokesman for the Liberal Party of Canada, stated in an e-mail, “Serious penalties for marijuana growers and traffickers must be maintained as these activities are often closely linked to organized crime.”
Emery is very public about his party’s ambitions as well as his marijuana seed business. All of the profits from his business were given to drug law reform lobbyists, medical marijuana initiatives and drug rehabilitation clinics. He also sent copies of his magazine Cannabis Culture, which contained a marijuana seed catalogue, to every MP.
Emery said on his website, “I have never received a letter or a phone call or correspondence of any kind from anyone in Canada asking or demanding that I stop the sale and distribution of seeds.”