Pubdate: Thu, 14 Aug 2014
Source: Toronto Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2014 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.torontosun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://torontosun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/457
Author: Matt Ingram
Page: 3

'EVERYBODY WANTS TO EMBRACE ME'

Prince of Pot to hold rally in Toronto

The Prince of Pot has already begun to campaign for a renewed effort
to legalize marijuana.

Marc Emery was in Toronto Wednesday, the day after he returned to
Canada from serving 4 1/2 years in an American prison for selling
marijuana seeds through the mail.

Now he is preparing to help lead the three million Canadians he says
support legalization to the polls for next year's federal election.

"People are cynical about voting, achieving any kind of meaningful
change, but I hope to reverse that psychology and get people convinced
that we can have a very unique election next year and make
legalization a real topic of discussion," Emery told the Toronto Sun.

He calls the group of Canadians who support legalization the "cannabis
culture" and says he will motivate this "underestimated" voting bloc
to make them heard. Emery believes the prospect of legal marijuana
will lead many of his supporters to the polls.

"Maybe next November we will have legal marijuana in impending
legislation, and that's a very tantalizing prospect for millions of
Canadians and I think it can be used as a way to get them to vote," he
said.

Emery touts legalization as a safety measure as it would allow for
more transparency regarding the origin and quality of marijuana.
Concerns over safety are increasingly relevant as the use of marijuana
extracts such as butane hash oil, made using volatile gases, become
more popular.

"The best, purest quality material like that is made with solvents and
butane and that needs to be done under very good, safe circumstances
and a legal environment would ensure that would happen," Emery said.

He will be holding a welcome-home gathering at Yonge-Dundas Square
Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m. People are invited to come out and see him
before he returns to Vancouver on Sunday. He expects many will.

"It's only Canadian elected officials that want to distance themselves
from me, everybody else wants to embrace me," Emery said.
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MAP posted-by: Matt