Marc Scott Emery (born February 13, 1958) is a Canadian
cannabis rights
Cannabis rights or marijuana rights (sometimes more specifically cannabis consumer rights or stoner rights) are individual Civil rights, civil and human rights that vary by jurisdiction. The rights of people who consume Cannabis (drug), cannabis ...
activist
Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...
,
entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...
and
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
. Often described as the "Prince of Pot", Emery has been a notable advocate of international
cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...
policy reform, and has been active in multiple Canadian political parties at the provincial and federal levels. Emery has been jailed several times for his cannabis activism.
He is the estranged spouse of fellow activist
Jodie Emery
Jodie Emery (born January 4, 1985) is a Canadian cannabis rights Legality of cannabis, activist and politician. She is the spouse of fellow activist Marc Emery. Until the business was shut down by police, the couple were co-owners of Cannabis Cu ...
, with whom he operated
Cannabis Culture magazine and Pot TV. Until the business was raided by police, the couple were co-owners of Cannabis Culture, a business that franchised pot dispensaries. Crown prosecutors later deemed the business to be illegal due to obtaining cannabis from illegal sources.
Early life
At the age of 9, Emery started a business from his parents' home called Stamp Treasure, buying and selling stamps by mail order. Two years later he started another mail-order business called Marc's Comic Room that he started by using the money saved from Stamp Treasure. The business sold used comic books and earned him about $120 a week.
He dropped out of high school in 1975 at age 17 to purchase a used book store in
London, Ontario
London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...
which he renamed City Lights Bookshop.
Emery operated the store for 17 years, selling it in 1992.
Businesses
Hemp BC
Emery moved to Vancouver,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
in March 1994, and founded Hemp BC, a store selling cannabis-related paraphernalia.
Bongs and pipes were illegal to sell or promote in Canada and were not readily available at the time.
In late 1994, a court challenge sponsored by Emery convinced an Ontario judge to overturn the Canadian prohibition on marijuana and drug-related literature, making it legal for ''
High Times
''High Times'' is an American monthly magazine (and cannabis brand) that advocates the Legalization of non-medical cannabis in the United States, legalization of cannabis as well as other counterculture ideas. The magazine was founded in 1974 by ...
'' magazine and marijuana grow books to be sold in Canada once more.
Emery began selling seeds after attending the ''High Times''
Cannabis Cup
The ''High Times'' Cannabis Cup is a cannabis festival sponsored by ''High Times'' magazine. The event features judges from around the world who sample and vote for their favorite marijuana varieties, with cups (trophies) being awarded to the ove ...
. The business was featured on the front page of ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' in 1995. In early 1995 he launched ''Cannabis Canada Magazine'', which was renamed ''
Cannabis Culture
Cannabis culture describes a social atmosphere or series of associated social behaviors that depends heavily upon cannabis consumption, particularly as an entheogen, recreational drug and medicine.
Historically cannabis has been used an entheo ...
'' magazine in 1998.
The store was raided twice in 1996 and 1997. Emery received charges relating to illegal sales of paraphanelia and seeds, as well as assaulting a police officer. He was later convicted and given a $2,200 fine for the sales and jail time for the assault.
Emery was also banned from returning to the 300 block of West Hastings, where his businesses were located.
The store was repeatedly raided through 1998 after its sale to the store manager. Her business licence was subsequently revoked by the city. In August 1998, Vancouver Mayor
Philip Owen
Philip Walter Owen (March 11, 1933 – September 30, 2021) was the 36th mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia from 1993 to 2002, making him one of Vancouver's longest serving mayors. His father was Walter S. Owen, who was Lieutenant Governor o ...
had told ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' that Hemp BC was "going to be toast by September." Emery switched his walk-in marijuana seed business to mail-order only, and continued to publish ''Cannabis Culture'' magazine. In early 2000 he established Pot-TV, a marijuana-related video channel.
[http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1678/a04.html Drug news] From 1998 until his arrest in 2005, Emery paid provincial and federal taxes as a "marijuana seed vendor" totalling nearly $600,000.
Cannabis Culture
On December 15, 2016, Marc and Jodie Emery opened six illegal Cannabis Culture marijuana "dispensaries" in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
,
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
as an act of "civil disobedience". On 16 December 2016, Marc Emery was arrested at the
Mont-Royal Avenue store, during a series of raids conducted by the
Montreal police
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-p ...
. Jodie Emery was released later that night with no charges, while Marc was held overnight.
Following this arrest, Emery continued to open dispensary franchises in cities such as
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilt ...
and
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
. At one time, a total of 19 Cannabis Culture dispensaries were in operation in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec.
Political activity
Emery worked on the
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic:
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* t ...
's campaign in London East in the
1979 federal election.
He was a critic of slow police response times to robberies, advocating for private security officers for merchants and business owners.
He started a campaign to eliminate the annual levy tax of $35 a year for downtown improvements, stating that it favoured a handful of the elite. He ran for the
Libertarian Party of Canada
The Libertarian Party of Canada (french: Parti libertarien du Canada) is a federal political party in Canada founded in 1973. The party subscribes to classical liberal tenets, and its mission is to reduce the size, scope, and cost of government ...
in the
1980 federal election, finishing fourth in
London East
London East was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1968 to 1997. It was located in the province of Ontario. This riding was created in 1966 from parts of London and Middlesex East ridings.
It was ...
.
Emery later left the Libertarians and became a London-area organizer for the libertarian
Unparty
The Unparty was a political party in Ontario, Canada, in the early 1980s.
In 1980, some former members of the Ontario Libertarian Party left the party because of fundamental disagreements and founded the Unparty. They included Lisa Butler, fo ...
, later renamed the
Freedom Party of Ontario
The Freedom Party of Ontario (FPO, french: Parti de la Liberté – Ontario) is a provincial political party in Ontario, Canada. It was founded on January 1, 1984, in London, Ontario by Robert Metz and Marc Emery. The Freedom Party has fielded c ...
. Emery served as the Freedom Party's Action Director from 1984 to 1990. In 1984, Emery, the Freedom Party, and the No Tax for Pan-Am Games Committee (founded by Emery and Metz) successfully campaigned against London's bid for the 1991
Pan American Games
The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...
, saying the city would lose millions.
Emery ran as a candidate of the Freedom Party in the rural constituency of
Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...
, near London, Ontario in the
1987 provincial election. He received 499 votes for a distant fifth-place finish.
In 1982 and 1985, Emery unsuccessfully ran for
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...
in Ward 3 of
London, Ontario
London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...
.
In May 1987 during a strike by city workers, Emery paid for truck rentals and volunteers to do the jobs of the striking workers. This caused outrage, leading to the strikers threatening to dump garbage on Emery's front lawn.
He ran for mayor of the city of
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
in 1996, 2002 and 2008.
In 2000 he was a founding member of the
Marijuana Party of Canada
The Marijuana Party (french: Parti Marijuana) is a Canadian federal political party, whose agenda focuses on issues related to cannabis in Canada. Apart from this one issue, the party has no other official policies, meaning party candidates are f ...
. Emery ran for the Canadian House of Commons as a Marijuana Party Candidate in the
2000 federal election. In 2001 he helped found the
British Columbia Marijuana Party
The British Columbia Marijuana Party (abbreviated BCMP) was a minor political party in the Canadian province of British Columbia that advocated the legalisation of cannabis.
The BCMP was formed following the 2000 federal election. Marc Emery, ...
(BCMP). The BCMP placed fifth in the
2001 provincial election. Emery has been the BC Marijuana Party's president since its founding, and also became party leader in 2003, when
Dana Larsen
Dana Albert Larsen (born 1971) is a Canadian author, businessman, philanthropist and activist for cannabis and drug policy reform. Larsen currently operates businesses and non-profit societies in Vancouver including The Medicinal Cannabis Dispensa ...
resigned to join the NDP.
In 2003, when the prohibition of
cannabis in Canada
Cannabis in Canada is legal for both recreational and medicinal purposes. Medicinal use of cannabis was legalized nationwide under conditions outlined in the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations, later superseded by the Access to Cannabis ...
was in limbo, Emery launched "the Summer of Legalization" tour, travelling to 18 cities across Canada to openly smoke marijuana in front of police stations.
In November 2003, Emery endorsed NDP leader
Jack Layton
John Gilbert Layton (July 18, 1950 – August 22, 2011) was a Canadian academic and politician who served as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2003 to 2011 and leader of the Official Opposition in 2011. He previously sat on To ...
during an interview with Layton on the ''Pot TV'' program. In the
2005 British Columbia election, Emery ran for the BC Marijuana Party, but was defeated. He endorsed
Svend Robinson
Svend Robinson (born March 4, 1952) is a Canadian politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1979 to 2004, who represented suburban Vancouver-area constituencies of Burnaby for the New Democratic Party (NDP). He is noted as the first mem ...
's candidacy in Vancouver Centre during the
2006 federal election campaign.
In the 2009 BC provincial election, Emery supported the
Green Party of British Columbia
The Green Party of British Columbia, often simply called the BC Greens, is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1983 and is based in Victoria. The party won its first seat in the Legislative Assembly of Br ...
. His wife, Jodie Emery, was the BC Green candidate in
Vancouver-Fraserview
Vancouver-Fraserview is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada.
Geography
Following the redistricting in 2015 based on the previous census, Vancouver-Fraserview sits in the southeastern po ...
. She had sought the
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' ...
's nomination in
Vancouver East
Vancouver East (french: Vancouver-Est) is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1935. It is currently represented by New Democratic Party MP Jenny Kwan.
The ...
for the
2015 federal election, however, her candidacy was disallowed by the party. The Liberal Party, which had campaigned on cannabis legalization, secured a majority in the election and legalized cannabis in 2018 with the ''
Cannabis Act
The ''Cannabis Act'' (also known as Bill C-45) is a law which legalized recreational cannabis use in Canada in combination with its companion legislation Bill C-46, ''An Act to Amend the Criminal Code''. The law is a milestone in the legal hi ...
''.
Marc Emery endorsed
Maxime Bernier
Maxime Bernier (born January 18, 1963) is a Canadian politician who is the founder and leader of the People's Party of Canada (PPC). Formerly a member of the Conservative Party, Bernier left the caucus in 2018 to form the PPC. He was the member ...
's candidacy for the
leadership of the federal Conservative Party in 2016 and announced his intention to join the
Conservatives
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
in order to vote for Bernier, due to the candidate's
libertarian
Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...
platform. In the
2019 Canadian federal election
The 2019 Canadian federal election was held on October 21, 2019. Member of Parliament (Canada), Members of the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons were elected to the 43rd Canadian Parliament. In keeping with the Fixed election dates in ...
, he supported the
People's Party of Canada
The People's Party of Canada (french: Parti populaire du Canada, PPC) is a right-wing populist federal political party in Canada. The party was formed by Maxime Bernier in September 2018, shortly after his resignation from the Conservative Pa ...
(PPC), which Bernier founded after leaving the Conservative Party. He ran for the PPC in
London North Centre
London North Centre (french: London-Centre-Nord; formerly known as London—Adelaide) is a federal electoral district in the city of London in the province of Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 19 ...
during the
2021 election, finishing in fourth place with 5% of the vote.
Legal issues
US government officials have described Emery as a
drug dealer
A drug is any chemical substance
A chemical substance is a form of matter having constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Some references add that chemical substance cannot be separated into its constituent elements by ...
for his efforts to sell marijuana seeds in Canada and abroad.
1991 obscenity charges
In 1991, Emery was convicted for selling copies of
2 Live Crew
2 Live Crew is an American hip hop music, hip hop group from Miami, Florida, which had its greatest commercial success from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. The group's most well-known line up was composed of Luther Campbell, Luke Campbell, Fr ...
's rap CD ''
As Nasty As They Wanna Be'' which had been deemed obscene and banned in Ontario.
He was given one year's probation, but immediately after sentencing he began selling marijuana-related literature and ''
High Times
''High Times'' is an American monthly magazine (and cannabis brand) that advocates the Legalization of non-medical cannabis in the United States, legalization of cannabis as well as other counterculture ideas. The magazine was founded in 1974 by ...
'' magazine, all in violation of Canadian law.
Emery invited local police to his store to arrest him, but the police refused to charge him or interfere.
He also sponsored visits from marijuana activists including
Ed Rosenthal
Edward "Ed" Rosenthal (born December 2, 1944) is an American horticulturist, author, publisher, and ''Cannabis'' grower known for his advocacy for the legalization of marijuana use. He served as a columnist for ''High Times Magazine'' during the ...
,
Steven Hager
Steven Hager (born May 25, 1951, Illinois) is an American writer, journalist, filmmaker, and counterculture and cannabis rights activist. He is known for his long association with ''High Times'' magazine.
Biography
Early life and education
Ha ...
,
Jack Herer
Jack Herer (; June 18, 1939 – April 15, 2010), sometimes called the "Emperor of Hemp", was an American cannabis rights activist and the author of ''The Emperor Wears No Clothes''. Herer founded and served as the director of the organization H ...
and
Paul Mavrides
Paul Mavrides (born 1952) is an American artist, best known for his critique-laden comics, cartoons, paintings, graphics, performances and writings that encompass a disturbing yet humorous catalog of the social ills and shortcomings of human ...
.
1998 Entrapment
Court documents showed that four American Navy undercover agents attempted to buy marijuana and smoke it at the Vancouver Cannabis Cafe in April 1998. The documents showed the
Naval Criminal Investigative Service
The United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) is the primary law enforcement agency of the U.S. Department of the Navy. Its primary function is to investigate criminal activities involving the Navy and Marine Corps, though its ...
agents worked in a joint operation with Vancouver police. Emery was convicted on charges of selling marijuana seeds in 1998, and received a $2,000 fine.
2004 trafficking conviction
On August 19, 2004, Emery was sentenced to 92 days in jail in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Emery had been convicted of trafficking because a witness saw him pass a joint in March 2004. Emery's supporters held an ongoing daily vigil outside the courthouse until he was released. On October 18 he was released from the
Saskatoon correctional centre
The Saskatoon Provincial Correctional Centre is an adult male, provincial correctional centre located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is one of four provincial correctional centres in the province including the Regina Correctional Centre, t ...
after serving 61 days of his sentence.
2005 arrest and extradition
![3804, Saint-Laurent, Montreal - Cannabis Culture shop](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/3804%2C_Saint-Laurent%2C_Montreal_-_Cannabis_Culture_shop.jpg)
On July 29, 2005, Canadian police, acting on a request from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), simultaneously raided the BC Marijuana Party Bookstore and Headquarters in Vancouver and arrested Emery for extradition to the United States outside a storefront in
Lawrencetown,
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
.
American authorities charged Emery and co-defendants Gregory Keith Williams and Michelle Rainey-Fenkarek with "'Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana", "Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana Seeds" and "Conspiracy to Engage in Money Laundering". Even though all the alleged offences occurred in Canada, Canadian police did not lay any charges.
The day of Emery's arrest, American DEA Administrator
Karen Tandy
Karen Pomerantz Tandy is an American attorney and law enforcement official who served as the administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration from 2003 to 2007. She was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on ...
made a public statement asserting that the arrest was "a significant blow not only to the marijuana trafficking trade in the U.S. and Canada, but also to the marijuana legalization movement." Emery was freed on a $50,000 bail.
![FDC Seatac](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/FDC_Seatac.jpg)
Emery and his two associates, all charged in the United States with drug and money laundering offences, each faced a minimum 10-year sentence and the possibility of life imprisonment if convicted there. On January 14, 2008, Emery agreed to a tentative plea-bargain with U.S. authorities. The terms of the agreement were a 5-year prison term to be served in both
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
and
U.S. prisons. In return, he demanded the charges against his associates be dropped.
On March 27, 2008 the plea-bargain deal collapsed because of the refusal of the Canadian government to approve its side of the arrangement. Emery agreed to plead guilty to one charge of drug distribution and accept a five-year sentence in the USA.
During Emery's 45 day incarceration while awaiting
extradition
Extradition is an action wherein one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, over to the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforcement procedure between the two jurisdict ...
to a US federal prison, his supporters held a continuous vigil outside the prison with tents and banners, ending when Emery was released on bail. On May 10, 2010, Justice Minister
Rob Nicholson
Robert Douglas "Rob" Nicholson (born April 29, 1952) is a Canadian politician who represented the riding of Niagara Falls in the House of Commons of Canada from 2004 to 2019 as a member of the Conservative Party. Under Prime Minister Stephen Ha ...
signed the order for Emery to surrender to authorities, which he did that same day. On May 20, 2010, Emery was extradited to the United States, pleading guilty on May 24 to one count of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana. On September 10, 2010, Emery was sentenced to 5 years in prison minus time served. While at the
Federal Detention Center in SeaTac,
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
Emery was locked in a Segregated Housing Unit (SHU) for three weeks as a result of allowing his wife to record a message from him over the phone.
On June 30, 2014, Emery announced his pending release in a blog post on the
Cannabis Culture
Cannabis culture describes a social atmosphere or series of associated social behaviors that depends heavily upon cannabis consumption, particularly as an entheogen, recreational drug and medicine.
Historically cannabis has been used an entheo ...
website.
On July 9, 2014, he was released, having served just over four years of his five-year sentence having earned 235 days of good conduct credit.
Project Gator
Marc and Jodie Emery were again arrested at
Toronto Pearson International Airport
Lester B. Pearson International Airport , commonly known as Toronto Pearson International Airport, is an international airport located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It is the main airport serving Toronto, its metropolitan area, and the surro ...
on March 8, 2017. He faced 15 charges, including conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, trafficking, possession for the purpose of trafficking, and possession of proceeds of crime. Jodie Emery faced five similar counts.
On March 9, 2017, search warrants were given in Toronto, Hamilton, and Vancouver as part of "Project Gator" a Toronto Police Service project that targeted marijuana dispensaries. This was in reaction to Acting Inspector Steve Watts allegations of Cannabis Culture having ties to organized crime. Five dispensaries in Toronto, one in Hamilton, one in Vancouver, and another in Ottawa were raided and shut down. Police seized $250,000 in cash in several different currencies. The police also searched two homes in Toronto, one in Stoney Creek, Ontario, and one in Vancouver that all had ties to Emery's Cannabis Culture franchise. Some of the dispensaries reopened the next day. On March 10, Marc and Jodie were granted bail, with conditions limiting or banning their access to marijuana and Canabis Culture franchises. After a guilty plea, the couple was convicted of drug-related charges on December 18, 2017, fined and placed on two years probation.
Three other individuals were also convicted of drug-related charges.
The couple had claimed that the operation of pot shops was a form of civil disobedience, but Justice Leslie Chapin ruled as follows: "No doubt there were pro-social motivations that were behind the actions, but at the same time, I have to recognize that much profit was made".
Non-marijuana activism
As a political
libertarian
Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...
,
Emery has also protested against
Sunday shopping laws,
obscenity laws
An obscenity is any utterance or act that strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time. It is derived from the Latin ''obscēnus'', ''obscaenus'', "boding ill; disgusting; indecent", of uncertain etymology. Such loaded language can be use ...
,
political endorsement of sporting events,
Canadian censorship,
and several taxes.
In 2002, Emery founded the Iboga Therapy House, an
ibogaine
Ibogaine is a naturally occurring psychoactive substance found in plants in the family Apocynaceae such as ''Tabernanthe iboga'', ''Voacanga africana'', and ''Tabernaemontana undulata''. It is a psychedelic with dissociative properties.
Prel ...
-assisted detoxification therapy program located on
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
's Sunshine Coast. Emery and his staff offered free ibogaine therapy to volunteer heroin and cocaine addicts with a plant-based alkaloid called
ibogaine
Ibogaine is a naturally occurring psychoactive substance found in plants in the family Apocynaceae such as ''Tabernanthe iboga'', ''Voacanga africana'', and ''Tabernaemontana undulata''. It is a psychedelic with dissociative properties.
Prel ...
, which has been claimed to help people quit addictions.
Media
On October 12, 1997, Marc Emery was featured on ''
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
Impact'' in an episode called "Canada Cannabis." The announcer referred to Emery as the "Prince of Pot" and the label stuck.
In 2001, Emery was a featured presenter at Idea City, an annual gathering of notable Canadians organized by
Moses Znaimer
Moses Znaimer (; born 1942) is a Tajik-born Canadian media executive of jewish descent. He is the co-founder and former head of Citytv, the first independent television station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the current head of ZoomerMedia. ...
. In November 2002, Emery and his guests heckled then US
drug czar Drug czar is an informal name for the person who directs drug-control policies in various areas. The term follows the informal use of the term ''czar'' in U.S. politics. The 'drug czar' title first appeared in a 1982 news story by United Press Int ...
John Walters during his speech at a luncheon sponsored by the
Vancouver Board of Trade
The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade (GVBOT) is a non-profit organization. It serves Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in a fashion similar to the Board of Trade or Chamber of Commerce. The Board is the largest business association between ...
.
Emery is featured in the 2007 CBC documentary film ''Prince of Pot: The US vs. Marc Emery'', and CB
Doc Zoneepisode
Cannabiz" He also appears in a 2007 documentary called
The Union: The Business Behind Getting High, and the 2007 comedy documentary ''
Super High Me
''Super High Me'' is a 2007 documentary film about the effects of smoking cannabis for 30 days. Directed by Michael Blieden, the documentary stars comedian Doug Benson. The documentary's name and its poster are plays on the 2004 documentary ''Supe ...
''. Emery was the focus of the 2013 feature documentary, Citizen Marc.
Sexual harassment allegations
In January 2019, several women came forward with allegations of
sexual harassment
Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fro ...
against Emery.
These allegations were denied by Emery in several Facebook posts.
As a result of these allegations, Emery was pulled as the keynote speaker from the First International Cannabis Seminar held in Argentina in February 2019. Prior to his removal, two Argentine politicians and a journalist cancelled their appearances in protest of Emery's presence at the conference. Shortly after, the Legalized Summit in Vancouver withdrew Emery's nomination for a lifetime achievement award and removed his estranged wife Jodie as a speaker.
Electoral record
2008 Vancouver Mayoral Election
2002 Vancouver Mayoral Election
1996 Vancouver Mayoral Election
See also
*
Brian Taylor (British Columbia politician)
Brian Taylor is a medical cannabis activist and politician in British Columbia. He and Marc Emery created the British Columbia Marijuana Party. Brian was the first leader of the party during the 2001 provincial election. He was a former mayor o ...
References
External links
Cannabis Culture Home Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emery, Marc
1958 births
Living people
British Columbia Marijuana Party politicians
Businesspeople in the cannabis industry
Canadian cannabis activists
Canadian libertarians
Marijuana Party (Canada) candidates for the Canadian House of Commons
People extradited from Canada to the United States
Politicians from London, Ontario