# Marijuana activist agrees to prison deal



## FruityBud (Jan 15, 2008)

VANCOUVER -- Canada's most prominent marijuana activist, the self-styled Prince of Pot, may soon be changing his moniker to Prince of Prison.

Facing a possible life sentence in the United States if extradited and convicted on charges of selling marijuana seeds to online U.S. customers, Marc Emery has agreed to a deal that would see him spend a minimum of five years behind bars in Canada.

Although the plea bargain is not yet "signed, sealed and delivered," Mr. Emery, 50, said that he expects to be heading to prison as early as March.

Should the five-year prison sentence be confirmed, it would be one of the harshest punishments in some years to be served in Canada for a marijuana offence.

Mr. Emery, founder of the B.C. Marijuana Party and publisher of Cannabis Culture Magazine, had been openly selling marijuana seeds from his Vancouver store since the 1990s with little interference.

But the so-called "war on drugs" south of the border ensnared Mr. Emery in 2005.

He was busted by the RCMP on an extradition warrant from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, charging him with conspiracy to distribute marijuana seeds and marijuana, and conspiracy to engage in money laundering.

The prison deal was suggested in a letter sent late last year by U.S. assistant district attorney Todd Greenberg to Mr. Emery's Vancouver lawyer, Ian Donaldson.

"Four days ago, I agreed," Mr. Emery said. The legal compromise includes a commitment to drop charges against associates Greg Williams and Michelle Rainey, who are also facing charges in the U.S.

"That's the only reason I took it ... to save my two co-accused," Mr. Emery explained. "Michelle has Crohn's disease and her lawyer said she might have died in jail. I didn't want that on my conscience."

Emily Langlie, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle, declined comment yesterday on the proposed plea bargain.

"I don't think it is appropriate to say anything about what Mr. Emery is saying. We have submitted an extradition package [to Canada] and we are patiently waiting for the process to play itself out," Ms. Langlie said.

The U.S. charges against Mr. Emery and his co-accused provide sentences ranging from at least 10 years in prison to a maximum of life.

Mr. Greenberg's letter said extradition proceedings would be dropped if Mr. Emery accepted a 10-year sentence in Canada, while agreeing to waive his right to seek an early release for at least five years.

"It's a pretty severe deal for a non-violent first offender," Mr. Emery acknowledged. "There's been no crime, merely a law that's been broken. In Canada, it might be a $200 fine."

But lawyers have told him that almost no one escapes extradition from Canada to the U.S. on an appropriate warrant, no matter how different drug laws are in the United States.

As he held court for reporters in the basement of his Cannabis Culture headquarters on a seedy downtown street, while acolytes in the next room weighed out leaves from a high-inducing Peruvian cactus, Mr. Emery said that prison holds no fear for him.

But he was bitter about Canada's co-operation with U.S. anti-drug authorities.

"We are basically licking the bootstraps of the Bush administration and the DEA, and outsourcing Canada's justice system to the United States," Mr. Emery said. "I'm not concerned about me, but this is a terrible travesty of justice and a violation of our sovereignty. Canada is selling its people out."

He said he expects details of the prison deal to be completed before the extradition hearing for the three accused goes ahead next week.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080115.BCEMERY15/TPStory/National


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## snuggles (Jan 15, 2008)

Shame on the USA for policing the world once again. Is pot really that important? We have bigger fish to fry than this, it's total **. And shame on Canada for not protecting one of it's citizens...SHAME!!!!!


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## Ekoostik_Hookah (Jan 15, 2008)

poor mr emery.
   hes a great guy, i love his Mag. and his seeds.
   10,000 " Free Emery"  t-shirts comeing right up.......


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## Dubbaman (Jan 15, 2008)

Once again people with too much say so doing that doesnt need to be done and making yet another innocent 3 lives worse off. lets get the signs out and start chanting *FREE EMERY*


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## Ekoostik_Hookah (Jan 15, 2008)

Im down,  WHERE AND WHEN.....?


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## Fretless (Jan 15, 2008)

He really is a Prince...
 This is a hell of a curveball ~ Emery tells it like it is!  Goddamn if it ain't just another honest man going to jail.  But a brave one at that.  I wonder what effect this will have on other Canadian seedbanks.  They are giving him what sounds like an illegally long sentence, to influence other Canadians to stop their activities by implying a similar threat.  Neither the U.S. or the Canadian authorities are operating within the law.  But they sure will use it to screw you if they can.  They're having it both ways, the bastards.
    I'll take an honest rogue like Emery over any half-wit politician any damned day of the week!  
    They want a scapegoat, now they've made themselves an even stronger figurehead, and unlike themselves, Emery appears to be wise enough to avoid the head trip of EITHER of those labels! 
    Emery will continue to write and be who he is.  They will not stomp this out because this **** be DANK and WE ARE THE * WEED!!! 
   I apologize if anyone is offended by an appropriate use of the old profanity filters.  (Actually the filter didn't catch the oedipal fornication word and I've edited it myself)
   This board and others like it, and even more so the Canadians and Dutch, are proof that we are Overgrowing them, from within, and there's nothing they can do to stop it from happening, slowly but surely.  They're only comfort is locking a good man in jail for a few years and ensuring that they themselves don't live to see the day, but others will.  We will grow and overgrow, share and be peaceful, teach our children wisely and appropriately. and all these political zealots and judges and district attorneys will do is continue to draw from the bottom as they always have.


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## DLtoker (Jan 15, 2008)

If we buy from him doesn't that make us not terrorists?   Ugh...


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## Fretless (Jan 15, 2008)

Up With Skirts, Down With Pants
  Up With Skirts, Down With Pants
  Get Naked 
  Get Real
  Get Back
  Get Down
  Get Stoned Get High Get Free
  Free Emery 
  Free Mandela
  Free Jesus
  Free The Buddha
  Recieve The Moon
  Grow The Sacred Herb
  Grow Grow Grow Grow
  The Voices Of Light Are Saying
  Grow Be Free 
  Free Emery 
  Free Your ***
  Free Your Penis
  Free Your Vagina
  Free Your Soul Simply There
  Simply Here
  Letters 
  Snowflakes
  No End In Sight
  Gravestones
  Dead Bands
  Weeds
  Sprouting In The Mind Of The Universe
  **** From The Light!  **** From The Light!
  We're Ok We're Here
  Don't Kill Anyone
  Or We Can't Take You With Us
  I Mean, Unless
  The Ocean
  You Rolling?
  Ok Let's Go
  It Keeps Expanding
  They'll Be Ok
  Tomorrow 
  Star Children
  We Made Out Of Love
  It Goes On
  Gets Better
  Keeps Expanding/imploding
  Amazing
  We've Seen If Before
  Keep Going 
  We're Doing All Right
  Gotta Love That Stuff Eh?
  All There Is


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## benamucc (Jan 15, 2008)

I want the t-shirt.  What a stand up guy to agree to this to save his friends.  They'll make a movie of it someday, so don't worry...he'll be set in royalties.


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## That crazy vancouver guy (Jan 15, 2008)

that just burns my a__... when a convicted criminal that commits a violent/viscous (rape for example) crime gets served a sentence of only a few years, and here the "authorities" r pushing for a life sentence with no chance of early parol because Emmery sold SEEDS, for heaven's sakes.... and... didn't he do all this legally? I'm sure he had a business licence....


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## umbra (Jan 15, 2008)

well it is one way to appease the USA. It's better than life in a US jail. In 3 months he could be out when everything cools down and no one is really paying too much attention. He will never sell seeds again regardless.


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## snuggles (Jan 15, 2008)

It's just a plant....I wish they were this tough on violent crime. This is a travesty nothing else.... You know not to be confrontational but us stoners need to band together, it's ashame cause we could make the gov't look silly if we were organized....we need to fight fire with fire, I myself have decided to grow more plants....LOL. Everytime they try to stop the WEED we need to show them that their efforts are not making a dent or even worse making things worse for themselves. I have also decided to teach as many people as I can how to grow, fire with fire my friends. Get pissed and let everyone know you are pissed, throw seeds everywhere next May...EVERYWHERE!!!! Anything you can do to support the cause. Just don't do something stupid to get in trouble. But throw those seeds everywhere and don't relent....LOL. I feel better now


Sorry for the rant but injustice makes me sick, especially since we should be worrying about the real stuff...not some plants.


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## That crazy vancouver guy (Jan 15, 2008)

here's an idea... let's find out where all these anit-weed politicians live and go do some commando missions and completely saturate their lawns and gardens with MJ seeds ... and phone and report THEM once they start to grow. lol.

u know... wouldn't that be something if people in their OWN family develop some ailment that only MJ can combat without the harmful side effects that some of modern drugs/therapies induce. I wonder just how anti-pot they remain... that's usually how it happens... a staunch anti-weed person changes their position when it involves them....


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## Ekoostik_Hookah (Jan 15, 2008)

actully that idea has been around for awhile.
  If we just plant MJ everywhere  and everywhere  and it becomes a wild, well know herb, it could overtake wherever it grows. Like huge huge outdoor crops, but dont tend to em. plant it at parks, cop stations,law offices, lawns w/e.....
  there used to be a web site ( by word of mouth) that would send like 100-1000 seeds for you to plant anywhere outside....dont know if its still around.


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## Chuck E. Cheeba (Jan 15, 2008)

yeah , I think its dank that there gonna sentance someone so harsh for something as stupid as selling seeds when there are rapists, murderers,and child molesters with not even a quarter of the sentance hes facing ... whats worse is the prisons let the violent offenders go early and live next to our schools, homes, and towns cause of over crouding in prisons ... yet someone does something as simple as selling seeds (which is harmless) and they get a full sentance without possability of early parole .... just shows yah how free we (as americans) really are ....pathetic ...


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## Puff- The Magic Dragon (Jan 15, 2008)

*EDIT EDIT EDIT*.. 

This is the kind of stuff that embarrasses me as an American. I love what this country is supposed to be, but I loathe what it has become. If there is a hell, there is a special place there for people like the and their ilk.

IT'S A FREAKIN' HARMLESS (yet helpful) PLANT!!! HELLO?!?!?! McFLY!!!


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## That crazy vancouver guy (Jan 16, 2008)

Chuck E. Cheeba said:
			
		

> yeah , I think its dank that there gonna sentance someone so harsh for something as stupid as selling seeds when there are rapists, murderers,and child molesters with not even a quarter of the sentance hes facing ... whats worse is the prisons let the violent offenders go early and live next to our schools, homes, and towns cause of over crouding in prisons ... yet someone does something as simple as selling seeds (which is harmless) and they get a full sentance without possability of early parole .... just shows yah how free we (as americans) really are ....pathetic ...


 
and it's not even an American citizen that is facing the American government's stupidity....


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## umbra (Jan 16, 2008)

01/20/09!


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## Hick (Jan 16, 2008)

That crazy vancouver guy said:
			
		

> and it's not even an American citizen that is facing the American government's stupidity....


nope. It's a Canadian citizen, stupid enough to _flaunt_ and _dare_ the US government to do something. 
IMHO.. he got exactly what he asked for/wanted.. _"martyr"_ status. 
  DON'T get me wrong here, "I" don't think anyone should be sent to prison for marijuanna, not for a second. BUT.. he wished to be in the "lime" light, "spotlight", crusading for legalization, and literally dareing anyone to do anything about it. He had fair warning far in advance, he knew it was coming, he got what he wished for.
  That doesn't mean that I think it was/is right, only that it could have been avoided.


> Prior said the minister's discretion is limited during the early stages of an extradition. The only real issue for the Canadian government when the request came in from the Americans was whether Emery's alleged conduct in the United States would be a crime in Canada as well, he said.  "We're not looking at whether or not it's something we would prosecute in Canada. It's whether it's an offence in Canada," said Prior....
> ....
> ..marijuana seeds are most definitely banned under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and to think otherwise would be a "misreading" of the law, said Young.
> The courts affirmed as much nearly 40 years ago. An Alberta man caught with a jar of hemp seeds argued they weren't illegal, since they have none of the mood-altering compounds found in marijuana leaves. In a 1968 ruling, the Alberta Court of Appeal split 2-1 on the issue.
> ...






> Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservative government are leading Canada, *yet again* in a direction it would rather not go.
> Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper is calling for a cultural shift with Bill C-26, to be enforced by what his political opponents are calling an American-style war on drugs. He has introduced legislation that would set mandatory minimum jail sentences for marijuana growers and traffickers, and he is seeking more money for enforcement and prosecution.
> The goal of enforcement and prosecution is to once again criminalize the small producer of marijuana, as well as the small time user.


..         Written by terry.wrist on Jan 8th, 2008

http://www.marijuanamilitia.com/?p=30

from the content of this article, I don't see canada heading in a more receptive direction.
DEA influenced?? I would imagine so. But at least we have our individual state governments enforcing the medical allowances against the fed's.


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## Mutt (Jan 16, 2008)

I myself prefer the person in pain calling out in public areas pushing medical advocacy and challenging our govt. standpoint on it than some dude sittin on an internet show pulling bong rips and slamming the US. 
Plus, his seeds sure weren't "affordable" for med peeps...probably why he could afford all the legal fees.  
Just my 2:bits


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## Flyinghigh (Jan 16, 2008)

That is just wrong !!  But at least he is standing up for his Buddys and letting them walk!! I do the same !!

So if they busted this set-up of selling seeds to usa, what going to do to the rest of those selling seeds to us?


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## That crazy vancouver guy (Jan 16, 2008)

I feel the need to appologize for ranting previously. hope I didn't piddle anyone off... I certainly don't want to argue with u, Hick  

damn... I picked up some "Biker Bob's" stuff last night and just smoked a gagger, so I forgot what I was gunna go on about...

someth'n like how I was agreeing with u, Hick, that it doesn't look good at all for me up here... but I've known that for years. I just don't worry about it and grow my own. I don't *like* to have to give money to someone else to aid them in cultivation for profit. I don't necessarily condone growing my fave plant to sell it, but what can I do? I'm not hardcore, and do it recreationally... it's not that big a deal... but I can't grow near as much as I smoke, so what can I do?:confused2: 

like I said... I'm ripped...


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## Hick (Jan 16, 2008)

? definately not argueing CVG, not atall. _"We're"_ on the same side. I've no doubt. 
  The laws are draconian. Persecution and prosecution are not acceptable.. IMO
   I'm in a med' state. My 'state' government says that I can grow and posses a .."reasonable" amount for medical conditions. The feds have, more than once, busted state approved med growers here. But as long as they were "within the states guidelines", the state has refused to prosecute. Additionally, the state supreme court has issued injunctions, requireing the return of the plants, equiptment, and product. On both local and federal levels.

     I can respect ME for his .."stand", but noone should be surprised at the outcome.


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## Hick (Jan 16, 2008)

> but I can't grow near as much as I smoke, so what can I do?


  you should. easily supply yourself man. Get some cuttings going in succession, one or two into flower every other week or so. 
Dig bigger holes!.. plant more seeds!.. more lights!.. house addition!.. 
   I dunno' but fer gawsh sakes.... "gitter done"


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## That crazy vancouver guy (Jan 16, 2008)

s'all good, buddy... and ya... he knew what he was doing. he shouldn't have sold outside of Canada. He is accepting the consiquences of his actions and at the same time, is looking out for others. admirable.


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## Mutt (Jan 16, 2008)

Hick said:
			
		

> you should. easily supply yourself man. Get some cuttings going in succession, one or two into flower every other week or so.
> Dig bigger holes!.. plant more seeds!.. more lights!.. house addition!..
> I dunno' but fer gawsh sakes.... "gitter done"


 
:rofl:


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## Dubbaman (Jan 16, 2008)

That crazy vancouver guy said:
			
		

> here's an idea... let's find out where all these anit-weed politicians live and go do some commando missions and completely saturate their lawns and gardens with MJ seeds ... and phone and report THEM once they start to grow. lol.


 
:spit: :rofl:
thats freaking great man.


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## kanehduhbuz (Jan 16, 2008)

why is the u.s. gov't so wrong on so many policies. (i started to go off on a tangent about the u.s. gov't + blah, blah, blah - so i stopped.) good luck mr. prince of pot - hopefully by the time u get 2 jail, we may vote in a new gov't + get u sprung. heres hopein.


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## NewbieG (Jan 16, 2008)

snuggles said:
			
		

> Shame on the USA for policing the world once again. Is pot really that important? We have bigger fish to fry than this, it's total **. And shame on Canada for not protecting one of it's citizens...SHAME!!!!!



The U.S will always be the World's Bully until we can't afford it any more. But the Canadian government needs to stop bending over and taking it up the butt every time our government wants them to. I mean hell even the individual states are protecting their citizens more then Canada is...


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