Cannabis Culture in Montreal: no sooner opened than closed

Marc Emery and his wife Jodie Emery were celebrating the opening of 8 CannabisCulture dispensaries last Friday in Montreal. One provocation too many for Montreal police, who arrested the couple and their associates in the process.

On Friday, December 16, the Emery couple came to Montreal to celebrate the opening of 8 franchised dispensaries under their CannabisCulture brand. Many Montrealers had flocked to buy their weed, which the Emerys sell to all adults over 18, without a medical prescription, in anticipation of the forthcoming legalization of cannabis in Canada. The high-profile opening of these dispensaries attracted the Quebec police, who arrested Marc and Jodie, as well as the dispensaries' employees. The dispensaries were closed, 18 kilos of weed seized and all store equipment confiscated.

The mayor of Montreal had warned that police forces would prevent the distribution of recreational cannabis. Figurehead of legalization in Canada, the Emery couple wanted to mark the occasion. Montreal mayor Denis Coderre told an audience of journalists: «What I don't understand is that cannabis legalization is coming, so why do this kind of thing? Indeed, the sale of recreational cannabis remains illegal on Canadian territory until the government's official announcement.

More relevant to put your energies on legislative process assured for marijuana legalization than a useless stunt...respect the law

- DenisCoderre (@DenisCoderre) December 16, 2016

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Provocation turned into drug trafficking

Marc Emery was arrested in front of his store, while his wife and advisor were apprehended in their hotel by Montreal authorities. The «Prince of Weed» was quickly released from jail on 5000$ bail, and is now subject to certain conditions. He will no longer be able to contact his wife and the 9 other people arrested in the raids on dispensaries on Quebec territory, from which he is banned except for judicial reasons. He is also no longer allowed to buy and consume weed without a prescription in Quebec until his trial on February 15, 2017, when he will appear on charges of drug trafficking, possession with intent to traffic and conspiracy.

«I believe our cause is just, I'm excited about it and I can't wait to go to court,» he tells reporters after his release. «And if they're foolish enough to sentence me to prison, we're going to challenge that and the constitutionality of these laws that are completely illegitimate and have always been illegitimate.»

With the dispensaries closed, the CannabisCulture team, led by Jodie Emery, is organizing the resistance. In particular, they've started distributing free joints in front of two of their stores.

The Emerys are taking to the media to make their mark in the future race for green gold. They denounce the corporate stranglehold on production licenses. In Canada, the central Ministry of Health is responsible for distributing production rights. Many small and medium-sized entrepreneurs fear that they will not be able to join the legal circuit that will be set up by the government.

Report from Pot.TV, Emery's channel

Théo Caillart