Cannabis Culture -- the marijuana magazine published and edited by pot activist Marc Emery -- was an incidental casualty in last week's raid on Emery's seed distribution business. The magazine's assistant editor, Jodie Giesz-Ramsay, said the magazine was being printed the day the raids occurred. The entire print run of 90,000 copies was scrapped. The conditions of Emery's $50,000 bail -- granted by Associate Chief Justice Patrick Dohm on Tuesday -- allow him to continue his duties as editor and as head of the B.C. Marijuana Party. [continues 199 words]
The arrest of marijuana activist Marc Emery and colleagues Gregory Williams and Michelle Rainey-Fenkarek at the behest of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency is an outrage. Canadians should demand that Prime Minister Paul Martin and our political leaders show some spine and strongly condemn this attack on Canadian sovereignty. Emery has been selling marijuana seeds for over a decade in Canada, with no problems from law-enforcement authorities. Indeed, Health Canada has in the past advised legal users of medical marijuana to access his Internet site for supplies of seeds not otherwise available in Canada. [continues 396 words]
Polls show that a slight majority of Canadians agree with Marc Emery, the self-styled Prince of Pot, that the current criminal prohibition against the use of marijuana in Canada is too harsh. So does the federal Liberal government, which has a bill on the order paper in Parliament to decriminalize the simple possession of marijuana. Even under the current law, authorities have for the most part taken the view that while hemp seeds are part of the marijuana plant and therefore illegal, they are not worth pursuing. [continues 496 words]
You wouldn't know it from all the rainbows, sunshine, fireworks and lollipoppery going on, but we are a nation at war, people! War! Our commitment to the War on Terror grows in Afghanistan. A new front is opening up against the Danes on Hans Island to the north. Terrorist cells could be multiplying in our midst, but do we ale-swilling, pot-puffing, decadent Canadians care? Huh? What? Exactly! That's why I'm mightily relieved that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency is stepping up to finger dangerous criminals in our midst like BC Marijuana Party leader Marc Emery. And I'm pleased as punch that our obedient pigs participated in last Friday's porking of the self-proclaimed Prince of Pot. [continues 577 words]
There are some facts that the media is ignoring in this extradition case against Marc Emery, Michelle Rainey and Gregory Williams. The Canadian government has allowed medicinal marijuana, but has not created any form of access to marijuana seeds. In official documents, the Health Department of Canada has told medicinal exemptees that they are to find their marijuana seeds on the Internet, at web sites such as Marc Emery Direct Seeds (which is now closed). The Canadian government recommends buying seeds from Marc Emery, and the laws against seed selling have not been enforced since the 1960s. Therefore, the "crimes" committed cannot be seen as enforceable in Canada, violating the agreement for extradition. [continues 195 words]
The Prince Of Pot Is Out Of The Joint. Awaiting an extradition hearing to the United States that could see him face a jail term of 20 years, Marc Emery, pot activist and head of the B.C. Marijuana Party, was released yesterday on $50,000 bail. Emery, who was arrested in Halifax on Friday, is charged in the U.S. along with two others for conspiracy to manufacture marijuana, conspiracy to distribute marijuana seeds and conspiracy to engage in money laundering. [continues 232 words]
B.C. Marijuana Party president Marc Emery, who faces extradition to the U.S. on drug and money-laundering charges, has been granted bail, CBC News Online reports. A B.C. Supreme Court judge set bail at $50,000 for the man described as Canada's "Prince of Pot." Emery, Marijuana Party vice-president Michelle Rainey-Fenkarek and Gregory Williams are all charged with conspiring to sell pot seeds to U.S. residents, conspiracy to grow marijuana and money laundering. Rainey-Fenkarek and Williams have also been granted bail of $25,000 each. [continues 148 words]
Marc Emery Was 'Directing Mind' Of Seed Enterprise, Crown Alleges; Supporters Say Arrest Was Political VANCOUVER -- U.S. drug-enforcement agents posed as marijuana enthusiasts for nearly 10 months, returning to Marc Emery's storefront headquarters in Vancouver again and again, where they say the Canadian marijuana activist sold them thousands of cannabis seeds. At first, the purchases were small, just a few dozen seeds, priced at a couple of hundred U.S. dollars. But soon, the two undercover officers, a man and a woman, were spending thousands, placing orders in person and over the phone, according to U.S. prosecutors. [continues 710 words]
The last time Marc Emery was put behind bars, we had sympathy for him. The prominent marijuana activist, commonly referred to as Canada's "Prince of Pot," had been sentenced to three months in prison by Saskatchewan provincial court judge Albert Lavoie for passing a single joint to someone else at a Saskatoon rally. Even those who don't share our enthusiasm for legalizing the substance must surely have recognized Mr. Emery's trafficking conviction and sentence were absurd reactions to a very minor offence. [continues 395 words]
Canadian Trio Violate U.S. Law With Seeds Sales Canada should be ashamed for arresting a prominent Canadian marijuana rights activist on charges of violating American drug laws, marijuana advocates said in Toronto yesterday after demonstrating against the arrest. B.C. Marijuana Party leader Marc Emery, who sells marijuana seeds over the Internet from his Vancouver base, was arrested by RCMP in Nova Scotia on a warrant issued by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Although selling marijuana seeds is legal in Canada, it's a violation of U.S. law. [continues 163 words]
VANCOUVER - Canadian justice officials can't turn pot activist Marc Emery over to the United States to face possible life in prison after ignoring his sale of marijuana seeds in this country for nearly a decade, his lawyer said Tuesday. "For nine years he's been doing this quite openly," John Conroy told a news conference after Emery was granted bail. "They've known about it, the local authorities haven't done anything about it." [continues 494 words]
Marc Emery, the leader of the Marijuana Party, is scheduled to appear in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver this morning, following a weekend in a Halifax-area jail. Emery was arrested Friday in Nova Scotia. He was in the province for a speaking engagement at a rally for the use of medical marijuana. His office and storefront on Vancouver's Hastings Street was also raided by police and two others were arrested on request of U.S. authorities, who want all three of the individuals extradited. [continues 158 words]
B.C.'s own "Prince of Pot" will have his day in court after being arrested over the weekend. Marc Emery, leader of the B.C. Marijuana Party, is expected in B.C. Supreme Court today for his bail hearing after being arrested in Halifax on Friday. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration wants Emery and two co-defendants, Greg Williams and Michelle Rainey, extradited to face prosecution in Seattle over charges of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana seeds and money laundering. The RCMP helped out in the arrest, which enraged Kirk Tousaw of the Marijuana Party. [continues 122 words]
Three members of the B.C. Marijuana Party will be in British Columbia's Supreme Court on Tuesday, charged with selling marijuana seeds by mail order to the United States. Marijuana party President Marc Emery and his employees Michelle Rainey and Gregory Williams were arrested on Friday at the request of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. American officials are seeking Emery's extradition, which could take six months to a year. The warrant on Friday alleged a conspiracy to produce marijuana and distribute seeds, as well as alleging money laundering. [continues 90 words]
Trio Of Canadians Violate U.S. Law By Selling Seeds Surprise Arrests Authorized By B.C. Supreme Court Canada should be ashamed for arresting a prominent Canadian marijuana rights activist on charges of violating American drug laws, marijuana advocates said here yesterday after demonstrating against the arrest. B.C. Marijuana Party leader Marc Emery, who sells marijuana seeds over the Internet, was arrested by RCMP in Nova Scotia Friday on a warrant issued by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Although selling marijuana seeds is legal in Canada, it's a violation of U.S. law. [continues 782 words]
Canada Is Wrong To Allow The U.S. To Export Its Political War On Pot To Canada By Allowing The Arrest Of Marijuana Activist The long arm of Uncle Sam reached out and nabbed the Prince of Pot in Halifax in an outrageous infringement of Canadian sovereignty. Marc Emery, who runs the B.C. Marijuana Party, is one of about 40 brokers of marijuana seeds based in B.C.- a $3-million-a-year business he has operated for more than a decade. [continues 604 words]
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - All the cliches of a pot protest were there: the hackey-sac games, tie-dye T-shirts and small clouds of smoke floating above the crowd of about 200 people. What wasn't to be expected at Saturday's Vancouver rally against the arrest of three Canadian B.C. Marijuana Party members was the support it received from visiting Americans. Party leader Marc Emery, Michelle Rainey-Fenkarek, financial agent for the party and Greg Williams, an employee of Pot-TV, all face charges of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana, distribute seeds and engage in money laundering. [continues 357 words]
Store manager Heidi Farnola thought it was a joke when a group of scruffy-looking men and women, some wearing T-shirts bearing a marijuana leaf, entered the B.C. Marijuana Party Bookstore Friday morning, shut the doors behind them and ordered everyone to freeze. "This guy said, 'Nobody move, this is a DEA-Vancouver raid,' " Farnola said of the bust, which was conducted by plainclothes officers from the Vancouver police department, on behalf of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. [continues 868 words]
The Prince of Pot, marijuana activist Marc Emery, is to appear in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver this morning on U.S. charges. Emery, 47, was arrested Friday on charges related to selling marijuana seeds over the Internet from his Hastings Street store as well as money laundering. Selling pot seeds is a criminal offence in Canada and the U.S., but Emery's lawyer John Conroy said yesterday that nobody has been prosecuted in Canada for doing so in the past decade. [continues 127 words]
VANCOUVER -- All the cliches of a pot protest were there: the hackey-sac games, tie-dye T-shirts and small clouds of smoke floating above the crowd of about 200 people. What wasn't to be expected at Saturday's Vancouver rally against the arrest of three Canadian B.C. Marijuana Party members was the support it received from visiting Americans. Party leader Marc Emery, Michelle Rainey-Fenkarek, financial agent for the party and Greg Williams, an employee of Pot-TV, all face charges of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana, distribute seeds and engage in money laundering. [continues 296 words]
VANCOUVER - All the cliches of a marijuana demonstration were there: the Hackey Sack games, tie-dye T-shirts and small clouds of smoke floating above the crowd of about 200 people. What wasn't to be expected at yesterday's rally to protest the arrest of three B.C. Marijuana Party members was the support it received from visiting Americans. Party leader Marc Emery, Michelle Rainey-Fenkarek, financial agent for the party, and Gregory Williams, an employee of Pot-TV, all face U.S. charges of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana, distribute seeds and engage in money laundering. [continues 164 words]
VANCOUVER -- Canada's self-proclaimed Prince of Pot is spending the weekend in a Nova Scotia jail, awaiting a return to Vancouver to face multiple drug-related charges. Emery, leader of the B.C. Marijuana Party, was arrested Friday by police in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley, where he was scheduled as a guest speaker at a pro-pot rally. A Halifax Regional Police spokesman said Emery spent Friday night in a Halifax holding cell, and will spend the rest of the weekend in another correctional facility. [continues 222 words]
About 100 supporters staged a demonstration -- which at times looked more like a circus -- in Vancouver's Victory Square Park yesterday to protest a police raid on a business owned by marijuana activist Marc Emery. Among the protesters, many of whom lit up marijuana cigarettes in solidarity with the jailed leader of the B.C. Marijuana Party, was "Uncle Scam," a man dressed in a parody of the patriotic American icon Uncle Sam. [continues 628 words]
Protesters Keep Up Vigil in Vancouver Over Arrest of Marc Emery VANCOUVER -- Canada's self-proclaimed Prince of Pot is spending the weekend in a Nova Scotia jail, awaiting a return to Vancouver to face multiple drug-related charges. Meanwhile, a group of about 100 toke-toting supporters gathered in Vancouver Saturday to protest Marc Emery's arrest. Emery, leader of the B.C. Marijuana Party, was arrested Friday by police in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley, where he was scheduled as a guest speaker at a pro-pot rally. [continues 436 words]
VANCOUVER (CP) -- Police raided a business run by a well-known pot activist yesterday. The raid was based on a search warrant requested by the U.S. government, which wants Marc Emery and two others extradited to face charges related to the sale of marijuana seeds on the Internet and by mail. Emery, who is leader of the B.C. Marijuana Party, was arrested earlier in Nova Scotia by the RCMP, according to U.S. Justice officials. Gregory Williams and Michelle Rainey-Fenkarek were picked up in Vancouver. [continues 131 words]
Marijuana-Seed Business Raided At U.S. Request As Protesters Chant Outside VANCOUVER - Vancouver police raided a marijuana-seed business Friday run by the leader of B.C.'s Marijuana Party under a request from the U.S. government, while protesters outside chanted anti-American slogans. Marc Emery, 47, who was referred to as the "Prince of Pot" on the search warrant, was arrested in Halifax the same day. He is charged in the U.S. with conspiracy to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to distribute marijuana seeds and conspiracy to engage in money laundering. [continues 716 words]
VANCOUVER (CP) -- Police raided a business run by a well-known pot activist yesterday based on a search warrant requested by the U.S. government. It wants Marc Emery extradited to face charges related to the sale of marijuana seeds on the Internet and by mail. Emery, who is also leader of the B.C. Marijuana party, was not at the store when it was raided but U.S. justice officials said he was arrested earlier yesterday by the RCMP in Nova Scotia. [continues 126 words]
VANCOUVER -- Well-known Canadian pot activist Marc Emery -- a former Londoner -- and two others should be extradited to the U.S. to face several marijuana charges, says information contained in a search warrant sought by the United States and granted by a B.C. court. The raid on Emery's pot paraphernalia store in downtown Vancouver began in the late morning and involved uniformed and plainclothes city police officers. Emery, a well-known crusader for more liberal laws governing marijuana use, once operated the City Lights bookstore in London. [continues 64 words]
VANCOUVER (CP) -- Well-known Canadian pot activist Marc Emery and two others should be extradited to the United States to face several marijuana charges, says information contained in a search warrant sought by the United States and granted by a B.C. court. The raid on Emery's pot paraphernalia store in downtown Vancouver began in the late morning and involved several uniformed and plainclothes city police officers. The police presented a search warrant, issued by Associate Chief Justice Patrick Dohm of B.C. Supreme Court, that said the U.S. made its request under a treaty that deals with matters under the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Act. [continues 328 words]
VANCOUVER -- Canadian pot activist Marc Emery and two others should be extradited to the United States to face several marijuana charges, says information contained in a search warrant sought by the United States and granted by a B.C. court The raid on Emery's pot paraphernalia store in downtown Vancouver began late Friday morning and involved several uniformed and plainclothes city police officers The police presented a search warrant, issued by Associate Chief Justice Patrick Dohm of B.C. Supreme Court, that said the U.S. made its request under a treaty that deals with matters under the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Act [continues 592 words]
Marijuana seed store raided as protesters chant Vancouver police raided a marijuana seed business run by the leader of B.C.'s Marijuana party under a request from the U.S. government Friday, while angry protesters outside chanted anti-American slogans. Marc Emery, 47, who was referred to as the "Prince of Pot" on the search warrant, was arrested in Halifax the same day. He is charged in the U.S. with conspiracy to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to distribute marijuana seeds, and conspiracy to engage in money laundering. [continues 298 words]
About 200 people rallied in Vancouver on Saturday to protest the arrest of three B.C. Marijuana Party members, including leader Marc Emery. One demonstrator sarcastically told CTV News Vancouver: "I'm an American, and I just wanted to visit our latest colony and see if all our Canadian slaves are behaving in a properly respectful way, because that's really what happened yesterday -- the Canadian police became a branch of the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency)." An upside down U.S. flag had "DEA Go Away" scrawled on it. [continues 381 words]
Emery In Valley For Hempfest VANCOUVER - Police raided a pot activist's business Friday, acting on a search warrant requested by the U.S. government. The U.S. wants Marc Emery extradited to face charges on the sale of marijuana seeds on the Internet and by mail. Emery, who is also leader of the B.C. Marijuana party, was not at the store when it was raided, but U.S. justice officials said the RCMP arrested him earlier Friday in Nova Scotia. [continues 761 words]
Police Raid Seed Shop Of Activist Marc Emery VANCOUVER - Vancouver police raided a marijuana-seed business run by the leader of B.C.'s Marijuana party under a request from the U.S. government Friday, while angry protesters outside chanted anti-American slogans. Marc Emery, 47, who was referred to as the "Prince of Pot" on the search warrant, was arrested in Halifax the same day. He is charged in the U.S. with conspiracy to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to distribute marijuana seeds, and conspiracy to engage in money laundering. [continues 266 words]
VANCOUVER - Vancouver police raided a marijuana-seed business run by the leader of B.C.'s Marijuana party under a request from the U.S. government yesterday, while angry protesters outside chanted anti-American slogans. Marc Emery, 47, who was referred to as the "Prince of Pot" on the search warrant, was arrested in Halifax the same day. He is charged in the U.S. with conspiracy to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to distribute marijuana seeds and conspiracy to engage in money laundering. [continues 195 words]
Marc Emery has built a multimillion-dollar business selling marijuana seeds and paraphernalia while thumbing his nose at authorities in his native Canada, even challenging them to arrest him. Yesterday, the man known as Canada's "Prince of Pot" was arrested in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on a U.S. indictment charging him with selling millions of dollars worth of marijuana seeds to customers throughout the United States. Emery, the 47-year-old leader of British Columbia's Marijuana Party, has earned about $3 million a year selling the seeds through his Internet Web site and by mail, federal officials said. Emery and two accomplices, Gregory Williams, 50, and Michelle Rainey-Fenkarek, 34, were arrested by Canadian authorities on a warrant issued by federal officials in Washington state. [continues 645 words]
VANCOUVER (CP) -- Well-known Canadian pot activist Marc Emery and two others should be extradited to the United States to face several marijuana charges, says information contained in a search warrant sought by the United States and granted by a B.C. court. The raid on Emery's pot paraphernalia store in downtown Vancouver began in the late morning and involved several uniformed and plainclothes city police officers. [continues 427 words]
VANCOUVER -- Marc Emery, Canada's most prominent pro-marijuana activist, is facing the possibility of life imprisonment in the United States for selling marijuana seeds over the Internet to U.S. customers. In a stunning development, RCMP officers arrested the self-proclaimed "Prince of Pot" in Halifax yesterday after a U.S. federal grand jury indicted him on charges of conspiracy to distribute marijuana seeds, conspiracy to distribute marijuana and conspiracy to engage in money laundering. The charges stem from Mr. Emery's lucrative sale of marijuana seeds, an activity he has carried on from his Vancouver base with minimal legal penalty for 10 years. [continues 623 words]
'Prince Of Pot' Marc Emery Nabbed In Halifax: Seed Shipping Business Shut Down By Police Pot advocate Marc Emery was arrested Friday in Halifax after his marijuana-seed shipping business on Hastings Street was shut down by police as part of a sweeping investigation instigated by U.S. authorities. Vancouver police raided Emery's multi-million-dollar business on a request from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), while angry protesters gathered outside chanting "Go home USA." Emery, 47, referred to as "The Prince of Pot" on the search warrant, was arrested by the RCMP and police in Halifax. [continues 1235 words]
VANCOUVER - Vancouver police raided a marijuana-seed business run by the leader of B.C's Marijuana Party under a request from the U.S. government yesterday. Marc Emery, 47, who was referred to as the "Prince of Pot" on the search warrant, was arrested yesterday by RCMP and police in Halifax. He is charged in the U.S. with conspiracy to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to distribute marijuana seeds, and conspiracy to engage in money laundering. Gregory Keith Williams, 50, and Michelle Rainey-Fenkarek, 34, who are alleged to be Mr. Emery's business partners, were also arrested in Vancouver. [continues 203 words]
The long arm of Uncle Sam reached out and nabbed the Prince of Pot in Halifax Friday in an outrageous infringement of Canadian sovereignty. Marc Emery, who runs the B.C. Marijuana Party, is one of about 40 brokers of marijuana seeds based in B.C. -- a $3-million-a-year business he has operated for more than a decade. If it's illegal, what have the Vancouver police and the RCMP being doing -- waiting for the U.S. cavalry? What happened Friday, in my opinion, was a last gasp of the U.S. federal government's jihad on dope. [continues 567 words]
A compassion club for providing marijuana for medical use is expected to open in Kamloops next month. Julian Gushulak says he is proceeding with the project, one of an anticipated 10 clubs the British Columbia Marijuana party will open in the province. Gushulak, who attended a workshop on the program yesterday, says he's working on membership applications, looking for a location and dealing with other administrative requirements. Michelle Rainey-Fenkark, party deputy financial agent, conducted the workshop and says the goal is to get clubs on the Coast operating first. Other clubs are targetted for Nanaimo, Kelowna, Prince George, Prince Rupert, Fort St. John, Revelstoke, Chilliwack and Quesnel. [continues 211 words]
There's more to the Marijuana Party than the pot plank. Although a major focus is on decriminalization and legalization of marijuana, Peace River South candidate Michelle Rainey-Fenkarek said the party supports a wide range of measures. "I know I got a bit of laughter in response to the name, but it's not just about marijuana," she said. "We have a platform of issues that are based on no new taxes, restorative justice, ending the drug war, decentralization of forestry, diversity in health care as well as we don't believe in gun control." [continues 300 words]
