A tentative deal between Marc Emery, Vancouver's Prince of Pot, and the U.S. government over money-laundering and drug charges has been nixed by Ottawa. Emery says the Conservative administration has refused to go along with a proposal that would have seen him spend five years behind bars for selling marijuana seeds through the mail. Under the defunct pact, Emery was to plead guilty on both sides of the border and accept a sentence of 10 years imprisonment on the understanding he would serve half, mostly in Canada. [continues 938 words]
Finally, a court ruling that puts in perspective the five to 10 years' imprisonment that B.C. cannabis crusader Marc Emery faces in U.S. prison for selling pot seeds. In a judgment released Friday, B.C. Court of Appeal Justice Richard Low ( backed by Justices Mary Newbury and Anne Rowles ) said a one-month jail sentence plus probation was appropriate punishment for such an offence. If anyone needed evidence, this decision exposes the fundamental unfairness of what is happening to Emery. [continues 717 words]
Appeal Court Judgment Suggests Prince of Pot Should Get Months, Not Years, in Canadian, Not U.S., Prison Finally, a court ruling that puts in perspective the five to 10 years' imprisonment that B.C. cannabis crusader Marc Emery faces in U.S. prison for selling pot seeds. In a judgment released Friday, B.C. Court of Appeal Justice Richard Low (backed by Justices Mary Newbury and Anne Rowles) said a one-month jail sentence plus probation was appropriate punishment for such an offence. [continues 733 words]
Re: "Blowing Smoke," Feb. 28-Mar. 5 Thank you very much for your insightful article about the trials and tribulations of us licensed medicinal cannabis users. We are a minority that has been constantly fighting for our right to live without fear. I have suffered with Crohn's disease for 19 years, went through conventional medicine, two surgeries and almost died. Cannabis saved my life and now I have been drug-free for 12 years. In 2000, I resigned from a 10-year bank career to prove that cannabis is a medicine and joined forces with Marc Emery. Currently I am under extradition orders by the U.S. government for basically being the vice-president of the B.C. Marijuana Party, as well as my continuing advocacy for legalization. Thank you again for your positive outlook on a sensitive subject. Michelle Rainey, Maple Ridge [end]
The fate of Vancouver's Prince of Pot is still uncertain after his extradition hearing yesterday was again postponed while Canadian and American prosecutors negotiate how to legally sentence him in both countries. Marc Emery and two associates, Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams, are accused of selling marijuana seeds to Americans over the Internet. If convicted in the United States they face 10 years to life in prison. A plea bargain is in the works that would send Emery to the United States for a brief prison term, followed by five years in a Canadian jail. [continues 83 words]
VANCOUVER -- Marijuana crusader Marc Emery is blaming a clash of judicial cultures for delays in a plea bargain that would send him to prison briefly in the United States before serving several years in Canada. The so-called Prince of Pot's extradition case was put over yesterday until April 9 at the request of his lawyer and a federal prosecutor representing the U.S. Justice Department. No reason was given but Mr. Emery said outside B.C. Supreme Court that there's a disagreement about the legality of the deal in Canada. [continues 509 words]
An international forum to discuss United Nations drug policy, held in Vancouver, BC Canada on Feb. 4 and 5, aired sharp criticism of the current global Drug War. The second of two "Beyond 2008: North America Regional Consultations" took place to provide the UN drug control bodies, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) and the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with public input on the effectiveness of international drug strategies over the last decade. Nearly 100 delegates representing non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from the US and Canada and involved in the health, treatment, prevention, criminal justice, human rights, alternative development, prohibitionist and consumer sectors assembled for the two-day forum at the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue. [continues 731 words]
On February 4-5, 2008 in Vancouver, BC, the second of two "Beyond 2008: North America Regional Consultations" took place in preparation for a 4th International NGO Forum on UN Drug Conventions. It was held at the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, http://www.sfu.ca/dialog/, a venue extremely conducive to this type of event with it's circular seating arrangement and clear audio system. I represented the Canadian Cannabis Coalition - an umbrella group founded in 1999 that now has over a 130 national cannabis advocacy organizations and stakeholders along with some international affiliates, including 16 other attendees. [continues 793 words]
The case of Marc Emery is many things for different people. It is a sobering reminder of how one's own arrogance can backfire. It is a chilling example of how the sovereignty of our institutions has eroded in the face of American pressure. But most clearly, for this writer, it is a demonstration of the extent to which Canada's drug laws have backslid into hypocrisy and absurdity. For those that don't know, Marc Emery is the leader of the B.C. Marijuana Party, the founder of Cannabis Culture magazine, and a long-time marijuana activist. He, along with colleagues Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams, are fighting extradition to the United States, where they face charges of selling marijuana seeds over the Internet, and a potential life-long prison sentence. [continues 483 words]
SURREY - Extradition proceedings against Marc Emery, Vancouver's self-styled Prince of Pot, were postponed Monday. The B.C. Supreme Court put the hearing over until today. The proceedings were expected to be further adjourned until Feb. 6 while a plea bargain is negotiated. U.S. federal prosecutors have charged Emery and two associates -- Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams -- with drug offences and money laundering for operating a global marijuana-seed business. All face minimum 10-year sentences and the possibility of life in prison if convicted in the U.S. [continues 76 words]
Prince of Pot Has Second Thoughts About Plea Bargain, Likely Won't Abandon Co-Accused Friends Marc Emery, Vancouver's Prince of Pot, triggered headlines around the globe by revealing his tentative five-year plea bargain with the U.S. over money laundering and drug charges. Still, his wife Jodie urged everyone to remember that although he has tentatively agreed to the deal proposed by the U.S., it is by no means finalized. The deal had not been signed by both countries, Emery and the courts. And the U.S. has not yet agreed to drop the charges against Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams, two of Emery's friends who are co-accused. He has made their freedom a condition of his "guilty" plea. [continues 570 words]
The Prince of Pot is ready to turn in his hash robes for prison garbs, but only if he can save his friends. Marijuana activist Marc Emery emerged from a Vancouver courtroom yesterday in a buoyant mood after being granted an adjournment to his extradition hearing until Feb. 6. Emery - who is wanted by U.S. authorities for selling pot seeds online - says the adjournment will give him more time to negotiate a deal between Canadian and American authorities that would see him spend five years in a Canadian prison and get Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams, his co- accused, off the hook. The alternative for Emery could be life in an American prison. "Five years in jail is an honourous punishment," Emery said. "What's happened to me is an injustice, but ... and don't have any regrets." [end]
Weed Disciples Gasp As Marc Emery Cops to Five-Year Prison Deal Our prince of pot, Vancouver-based Marc Emery, puts it simply: "I'll be disappearing in 60 days." He's referring to his plea bargain with U.S. officials over charges arising from his online marijuana seed business, made public January 14. The tentative agreement would see him serving five years of a 10-year sentence, waiving his right to early release and selling his beloved magazine, Cannabis Culture. [continues 588 words]
Re: Pot 'Prince' Favours Jail Time in Canada, Jan 15. Some media outlets have published major errors about the plea deal Marc Emery -- my husband -- is working on with the U.S. and Canadian governments. First, as correctly reported in the Post, the deal has not been finalized, so negotiations are still under way. The B.C. Supreme Court extradition hearing is scheduled for Jan. 21. Because the deal has not been presented or signed, there is still the possibility Marc will fight against extradition instead of plea bargaining. [continues 156 words]
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. [continues 538 words]
Lawyers for the Vancouver Island Compassion Society (VICS) will be back in court in February to defend the organization's constitutional right to distribute medical cannabis, despite the death of the judge who was presiding over the now two-year-old trial. VICS defence lawyer Kirk Tousaw was informed by Madame Justice Marvyn Koenigsberg on Monday the case will continue next month from where it left off in November, before the fatal heart attack of Justice Robert Edwards. VICS executive director Philippe Lucas says that's good new for his group, which has spent $200,000 defending Mike Swallow and Mat Beren against charges stemming from a 2004 police raid on a grow operation the group managed at an East Sooke property. [continues 280 words]
VANCOUVER - Marc Emery, Vancouver's self-styled Prince of Pot, has tentatively agreed to a five-year prison term in a plea bargain over U.S. money laundering and marijuana seed-selling charges. Facing an extradition hearing Jan. 21 and the all-but-certain prospect of delivery to U.S. authorities, Mr. Emery has cut a deal with U.S. prosecutors to serve his sentence in Canada. He also hopes it will save his two co-accused --Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams --from prison time. [continues 302 words]
Marc Emery, Vancouver's self-styled Prince of Pot, has tentatively agreed to a five-year prison term in a plea bargain over U.S. money laundering and marijuana seed-selling charges. Facing an extradition hearing Jan. 21 and the all-but-certain prospect of delivery to American authorities, Emery has cut a deal with U.S. prosecutors to serve his sentence in Canada. He also hopes it will save his two co-accused -- Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams. The three were arrested in August 2005 at the request of the United States. [end]
VANCOUVER - Marc Emery, Vancouver's self-styled Prince of Pot, has tentatively agreed to a five-year prison term in a plea bargain over U.S. money laundering and marijuana seed-selling charges. Facing an extradition hearing Jan. 21 and the all-but-certain prospect of delivery to American authorities, Emery has cut a deal with U.S. prosecutors to serve his sentence in Canada. He also hopes it will save his two co-accused - Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams, who were his lieutenants for so much of the past decade. [continues 913 words]
Dear Mr. Nicholson: On Jan. 21, 2008 an extradition hearing will begin in Vancouver for Marc Emery, Canada's pre-eminent activist for the legalization of marijuana. Marc has been charged in the U.S. with conspiring to manufacture and distribute marijuana, and conspiring to launder money. If convicted under U.S. law, he faces possible life imprisonment without parole. Should Marc be extradited to the U.S.? The Canadian court will almost certainly say yes. It has little choice under the Extradition Act. Marc openly admits selling marijuana seeds over the internet to customers around the world, including the United States, for years. His conduct would have been grounds for criminal charges here, although Canadian authorities never chose to charge him. But that's enough under the Act to make it mandatory for the judge to commit him for surrender to U.S. authorities. [continues 657 words]
Sovereignty Put In Danger As The Government Moves Towards North American Unionization Why is it that the Canadian government is enforcing American border and legal policies? Is our government forfeiting our sovereignty in exchange for American ideologies regarding war and censorship? Recent examples highlight the unconstitutional harmonization of policies that are just the tip of the iceberg of a union between the USA, Mexico and Canada known as the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP). Three times in the past four months, while trying to enter Canada to attend anti-SPP and anti-war rallies, Ann Wright (a former US state department official and now an anti-war activist) has been held by border officials or denied entrance into Canada. [continues 715 words]
COMMENT: (1-4) Millions suffer needless pain because the laws and those who enforce them get between doctors and patients. Rarely some small belated justice points out how serious the issue is. Few newspapers have given coverage to the GAO report http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d071018.pdf On the front page of the Wall Street Journal we find out that drug cartels find ways to conduct business despite any laws. Finally, almost every day Law Enforcement Against Prohibition speakers confront the traditional arguments supporting the war on drugs. [continues 6838 words]
Canada's "Prince of Pot" has joined the ranks of Dolly Parton, Prince Philip and Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean. Arriving at the Calgary airport for a two-day visit Saturday, Canada's best-known marijuana activist, Marc Emery, was white-hatted by the Calgary airport's official White Hat Volunteers. "I'm the Prince of Pot," he said. "That's a royalty, a monarchy of sorts, so I guess it fits." Saturday's warm welcome, arranged by Emery's supporters, comes in stark contrast to his visit to Calgary in 2003 when Emery was arrested for marijuana possession. [continues 348 words]
The "Prince of Pot" says he's surprised it took the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) so long to investigate his Internet business, which sold hundreds of thousands of marijuana seeds to Americans for 11 years. "They claim I'm responsible for seeds that produced 1.1 million pounds of marijuana worth $3 billion. So, if it's true, I'm so happy about that," said Marc Emery, while speaking at a Saskatchewan Marijuana Party rally in Saskatoon on Saturday. "If I were the DEA, I would have targeted me too." [continues 456 words]
SASKATOON -- The "Prince of pot" says he's surprised it took the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) so long to investigate his Internet business that sold hundreds of thousands of marijuana seeds to Americans for 11 years. "They claim I'm responsible for seeds that produced 1.1 million pounds of marijuana worth $3 billion so if it's true, I'm so happy about that," said Marc Emery while speaking at a Saskatchewan Marijuana Party rally in Saskatoon Saturday. "If I were the DEA, I would have targeted me too." [continues 561 words]
'If I Were The DEA, I Would Have Targeted Me, Too' SASKATOON - Canada's "Prince of Pot" says he's surprised it took the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration so long to investigate his Internet business that sold hundreds of thousands of marijuana seeds to Americans for 11 years. "They claim I'm responsible for seeds that produced 1.1 million pounds of marijuana worth $3 billion, so if it's true, I'm so happy about that," Marc Emery told a Saskatchewan Marijuana Party rally in Saskatoon on Saturday. [continues 306 words]
Marc Emery Gives Hardcore Puff Fest Much Needed Political Edge Seed seller Marc Emery fears he won't see Canada again if he's extradited to the U.S on drug charges. Thousands upon thousands of tokers are demonstrating the normalization of cannabis at the Saturday, May 5, Global Marijuana March and fest with some hardcore puffing. On the surface, the event may look like it lacks political muscle. Attendees have showed up on the north lawn of Queen's Park to spread blankets, fire up their favourite bong and openly inhale with their friends to the sounds of Ill Scarlet. [continues 417 words]
Editor: As the "Million Marijuana March" on May 5 approaches, so does the greatest injustice thus far in the war on drugs. Marc Emery, Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams (the "B.C. three") are set to face extradition to the United States in hearings beginning on May 28 in the B.C. Supreme Court. They face 10 years to life imprisonment for selling marijuana seeds, should they be extradited. The Canadian government has knowingly taxed these sales for the past decade, while Mr. Emery has used all of his income fighting prohibition. [continues 54 words]
If you smell skunk outside the Vancouver Art Gallery tomorrow afternoon, check your watch. It will likely read 4:20 p.m. when an estimated 8,000 marijuana users are expected to gather for what could be one of the largest pot rallies in the weed world. "This is not going to be a protest, this is going to be a massive celebration and party," Marc Emery, a.k.a. Vancouver's infamous Prince of Pot, said yesterday. "It'll be huge, and if it's a sunny day, it'll be the largest one of its kind in the world -- I'm sure of it." [continues 171 words]
If you smell skunk outside the Vancouver Art Gallery this afternoon, check your watch. It will likely read 4:20 p.m. when an estimated 8,000 marijuana users are expected to gather for what could be one of the largest pot rallies in the weed world. "This is not going to be a protest, this is going to be a massive celebration and party," Marc Emery, a.k.a. Vancouver's infamous Prince of Pot, said yesterday. "It'll be huge, and if it's a sunny day, it'll be the largest one of its kind in the world -- I'm sure of it." [continues 151 words]
It is a bit nuts. Vancouver is now home to a government-funded supervised-injection site for hard-drug users. Most cops won't bust you for joints. Travel agencies hype Hastings Street's pot cafes, and British Columbia's reputation for exotic, high-test marijuana varieties is already a stale cliche. Only three years ago, Canada's prime minister was Jean Chretien, who joked that he was looking forward to retirement but wanted more lax marijuana laws before he stepped down: "I will have my money for my fine, and a joint in the other hand." [continues 934 words]
Marc Emery: Drug Kingpin Or Political Target VANCOUVER --"THE PROBLEM WITH a lot of young people is that they smoke pot first and maybe develop a discipline over time," says Marc Emery, who asks me if I want to get high off the giant bong he's smoking in his small office below the B.C. Marijuana Party store. Emery admits that he didn't smoke pot until he was 22--well after he developed a discipline for the activism work that has since made him a wanted man. At 17, Emery opened City Lights Bookstore in London, Ontario. Shortly thereafter, he had run-ins with the law for ignoring Ontario's ban on Sunday shopping hours and was reprimanded for selling rap group 2 Live Crew's videos--an action that was a violation of Canada's censorship laws at the time. [continues 1303 words]
Vancouver -- The extradition hearing for Marc Emery and his co-defendants will begin in May of 2007, nearly two years after their arrest on charges of money-laundering and selling marijuana seeds over the Internet. Mr. Emery, Greg Williams and Michelle Rainey were in B.C. Supreme Court yesterday to hear that what is expected to be a week-long hearing will start on May 28, 2007. The three defendants were arrested in July, 2005 at the request of the U.S. , following an investigation by its Drug Enforcement Administration. [end]
Marc Emery: Drug Kingpin Or Politically Prosecuted? VANCOUVER, B.C. (CUP) - "The problem with a lot of young people is that they smoke pot first and maybe develop a discipline over time," said Marc Emery, who asked me if I wanted to get high off the giant bong he was smoking in his small office below the B.C. Marijuana Party store. "I didn't smoke pot until I was 22," he continued, which was well after Emery developed a discipline for the work that has made him a wanted man. [continues 1523 words]
Wanna Get High? When I walk into the small office below the BCMP store, Marc Emery is smoking some pot he received in the mail from a supporter out of a giant bong and asks if I want to get high. The experience has indeed begun. The well-known marijuana activist believes that "a journalist should be telling people what it's like to do stuff they can't do." He comments that usually all that's seen about what it's like to do drugs is a list of side effects that rarely describes the sensations he asserts having. Rather, he points to increased physical sensations, the change in time perception, libidinous expressions, and how pot acts as a creative tool -- although he admits that when it comes to doing work that requires attention to detail, being high may not be the way to go. Nevertheless, working when high becomes easier as you get older -- at least in Emery's experience, but this comes from experience. [continues 2195 words]
Prince Of Pot's Herb-Filled Nuptials Get Stoked By New Extradition Ruling Marc Emery And Jodie Giesz-Ramsay's Weeded Bliss Attracted Canada's Pot Aficionados. VANCOUVER -- the nuptials between Marc "Prince of Pot" Emery and Jodie Giesz-Ramsay must have seemed like the first act in The Godfather to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. I'm talking about the wedding scene where all the Mob heads gather to honour Don Vito Corleone on his daughter's wedding day. [continues 830 words]
Nuptials Follow A Supreme Court Ruling That Could Be Considered A Splendid Omen For Vancouver Three Marc Emery, Vancouver's self-styled Prince of Pot, married his long-time assistant at Cannabis Culture Magazine Sunday under a tent in Queen Elizabeth Park's rose garden. In a traditional ceremony rather than the expected counterculture blow-out, the 48-year-old Emery wed Jodie Joanna Giesz-Ramsay, 21, quietly and with reverence. A harpist played airs in the sunshine as they tied the knot in a landscape blurred only by clouds of cannabis and iridescent soap bubbles. The couple and their friends celebrated at a reception afterwards at Heritage Hall on Main Street. [continues 505 words]
Pot Activist Emery's Bride Knows He's Likely to End Up in U.S. Jail VANCOUVER -- Marc Emery, Canada's so-called Prince of Pot, got married yesterday to a woman who apparently doesn't mind that her husband could spend large parts of their marriage in court or in jail as part of his mission to legalize marijuana. "I will support him no matter what happens in any situation," Jodie Emery, 21, said shortly after the wedding. "I'm just so happy right now to be married to him." [continues 461 words]
Guests, Happy Couple Celebrate With Joints Marc Emery, Canada's so-called Prince of Pot, got married Sunday to a woman who apparently doesn't mind the idea that her new husband could spend large parts of their marriage in court or in jail as part of his mission to legalize marijuana. "I will support him no matter what happens in any situation," Jodie Emery, 21, said shortly after the wedding. "I'm just so happy right now to be married to him." [continues 296 words]
Leader Of B.C. Marijuana Party Faces Extradition To U.S. VANCOUVER - Marc Emery, Canada's so-called Prince of Pot, got married Sunday to a woman who apparently doesn't mind the idea that her new husband could spend large parts of their marriage in court or in jail as part of his mission to legalize marijuana. "I will support him no matter what happens in any situation," Jodie Emery, 21, said shortly after the wedding. "I'm just so happy right now to be married to him." [continues 239 words]
Local pot advocates and politicians say the United Nations is blowing smoke after a report stated marijuana could be as dangerous to use as cocaine and heroin. According to the UN, the potency of marijuana has doubled in places such as B.C. due to indoor grow-ops and global popularity of smoking pot is cause for concern. "It's wrong," said an angry Michelle Rainey, vice-president of the B.C. Marijuana Party and a medical marijuana user, at her B.C. Hemp Bookstore. "There is nothing to indicate that cannabis is like heroin." [continues 221 words]
The Prince of Pot is gettin' hitched. A pending extradition trial won't stop Marc Emery from taking the plunge at a ceremony later in July. He'll marry Jodie Giesz-Ramsay, the assistant editor at the Cannabis Culture pot magazine Emery publishes out of his West Hastings office. The B.C. Supreme Court yesterday relaxed Emery's bail conditions to allow friends and co-accused Greg Williams and Michelle Rainey to attend. The three are not currently allowed to associate outside the work setting. [continues 146 words]
Bail conditions are being eased for a B.C. pot activist for his summer wedding prior to an extradition hearing on U.S. drug charges. Associate Chief Justice Patrick Dohm decided in B.C. Supreme Court that Marc Emery's co-accused can attend the July nuptials. Emery, Michelle Rainey-Fenkarek and Greg Keith Williams were arrested last July after police raided a marijuana paraphernalia store owned by Vancouver's "Prince of Pot." Dohm suspended for two days, July 22 and 23, a bail condition that stipulates Emery and his co-accused can't associate with each other. [continues 77 words]
I am writing to voice my opinion on the extradition of Marc Emery, Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams. These individuals are being extradited for the sale of marijuana seeds to the United States. The problem is not the sale of marijuana seeds, the problem is the application of American laws on Canadian soil. I am disgusted that Canadian citizens can be transported to a different nation, for a crime committed within our own nation. Canadian laws should be applied to crimes that are committed in Canada, no matter who is involved. American law should not apply in any circumstances. Will web pharmacies that sell pharmaceutical drugs to American citizens be tried under American law as well? While living in any nation, the only laws that should apply to you are the ones put in place by the nation's government. Sean Drudge Surrey [end]
VANCOUVER -- The possible extradition of Marc Emery to the United States to face charges of distributing marijuana seeds is stalled because of a dispute about legal funding for one of his two co-defendants. Mr. Emery, Michelle Rainey and Gregory Williams were arrested in July of 2005 at the request of the U.S. government after an investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. They are accused of illegally selling marijuana seeds over the Internet and money laundering; if extradited and convicted, they face minimum sentences of 10 years in prison. [continues 327 words]
Local Paddy Roberts Will Appeal B.C. Supreme Court Judge's Decision To Allow Feds To Intervene In Emery Charges Slocan Valley's Patrick Roberts may have lost the fight to prevent Ottawa's involvement in his charges against B.C.'s Pot King Marc Emery, but he is willing to take his battle to the bitter end, even if it means the Supreme Court of Canada. By charging Emery and two accomplices, Michelle Rainey-Fenkarek and Greg Williams, with conspiracy to distribute marijuana seeds, Roberts could have prevented American drug-enforcement officials from charging the trio with the same crimes, thus preventing their extradition to the U.S. to stand trial. The Emery plot thickened when Canada's Federal Attorney General tried to stay Roberts' charges, which would clear the way for extradition. Roberts argued the federal government had no place in the legal battle, as the charges were conspiracy related, not direct drug charges, which would allow for federal intervention. [continues 291 words]
WINLAW VS OTTAWA: Paddy Roberts Promises Appeal Of His Case Aimed At Keeping Justice Department Out Of His Private Charge Against Pot Seed Seller Mark Emery A Winlaw man is vowing to continue his fight against Ottawa in a bid that could make or break the Bush administration's plans to extradite B.C. pot seed king Marc Emery to face charges in the U.S. Paddy Roberts says he and Nelson lawyer Don Skogstad will be appealing a B.C. Supreme Court judge's decision to dismiss a motion that would have barred the federal attorney general from taking control of a conspiracy case Roberts has launched against Emery and two co-accused. The trio are facing extradition to the States on charges of conspiracy to launder money and distribute marijuana and marijuana seeds. Conviction on the charges would carry a sentence of at least 12 years. [continues 455 words]
VANCOUVER -- A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has ruled in favour of the federal government and removed a potential impediment to the extradition of Marc Emery and his two co-defendants. Mr. Justice Robert Crawford dismissed a motion that would have prohibited federal prosecutors from taking control of a conspiracy charge filed privately against Mr. Emery, Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams. The private charge was filed last August in Provincial Court in Nelson, by Patrick Roberts, chairman of the nationalist Bloc British Columbia party. [continues 362 words]
Marc Emery Faces Extradition to U.S. on Drug Charges But Some Argue Emery Should Be Tried in Canada Instead VANCOUVER--The B.C. man wanted in the United States to stand trial for selling marijuana seeds by mail thinks a jail term south of the border could be his springboard to a political career in Canada. "I get elected to Parliament, I become the justice minister and finally get rid of these marijuana laws," is how Marc Emery sees his future on return from a prison term in the U.S. if convicted there on charges of conspiracy to distribute marijuana, distribute seeds and launder money. [continues 1249 words]
Local man charges self-proclaimed Pot King Marc Emery: Canada's Attorney General trying to stay charges For the second time in the last year,a a private citizen has laid charges against Marc Emery, B.C.'s King of Pot, in a bid to prevent the marijuana activist's extradition to the U.S. Though the first attempt, made by David McCann who filed his charges in September of 2005, failed; this around both the Slocan Valley's Patrick Roberts, who filed the most recent charges and his legal council, Nelson lawyer Don Skogstad, think they have a strong case for keeping the accused north of the border. [continues 530 words]
