Pubdate: Sun, 19 Jul 2009 Source: Province, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2009 Canwest Publishing Inc. Contact: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476 Author: Katie Mercer, Staff Writer POT ACTIVISTS DODGE JAIL Associates Of Marc Emery Sentenced In U.S. Two associates of pot activist Marc Emery will avoid prison time after being sentenced in Seattle last week. Michelle Rainey and Gregory Williams were given two years probation in the city's U.S. District Court for conspiracy to manufacture marijuana. "I'm delighted they got two years probation," Emery told The Province from Barrie, Ont. "They [the U.S. courts] are reserving their vindictiveness for me, I would suspect." Rainey and Williams were indicted alongside Emery in 2005 on drug and money-laundering charges for their roles in running a seed business. Rainey, 38, worked for Emery from 1998 to 2005, helping him mail-order marijuana seeds to customers in the U.S., while 54-year-old Williams took phone orders. The prosecution said Rainey and Williams were minor players in Emery's business, and further noted that Rainey is seriously ill with Crohn's disease and skin cancer. U.S. District Judge Ricardo Martinez was asked on Friday to accept the plea deal so that efforts could be focused on Emery, the so-called "Prince of Pot." "It's quite obvious it's all about politics," Emery said, noting his political involvement against anti-marijuana laws has irked U.S. officials. "The same seeds I sold are being sold right in America. The people in California are doing it the same way I did so there's a terrible hypocrisy at work here. "It's all about my political message but the DEA [Drug Enforcement Administration] denies this." Emery said he's struck a deal with prosecutors to surrender in September in return for a five-year federal prison sentence -- the minimum he can receive if convicted. Meantime, he has embarked on a 30-city "farewell tour" of speaking engagements across the country. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr