Marc Emery

Marc Scott Emery was born on October 1, 1958, in London, Ontario. A libertarian entrepreneur and early advocate for cannabis legalization, he became one of the most controversial and influential figures in the global legalization movement, to the point of being dubbed the “Prince of Pot.”

A visionary businessman

In 1995, he set his sights beyond just seeds. He opened the first store dedicated exclusively to cannabis under the name Hemp BC Store. Bongs, pipes, eye drops, solvents, and cannabis literature were all on the menu at his shop. By that time, he was already generating over $3 million in revenue. He later founded the magazine Cannabis Canada, which would become Cannabis Culture. This allowed him to freely challenge prohibitionist policies and the taboos surrounding cannabis. He also created one of the first online retail sites. Now, all it took was a credit card and a mailing address to have cannabis seeds delivered. He also launched a television channel called “Pot TV” (the weed channel).

At meetings on marijuana held by “experts” in the war on drugs, he enjoys challenging all the prohibitionist claims. For example, when John Walters, Director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy, speaks in Vancouver, his speech is peppered with little “BULLSHIT” and “Liar.” His frequent media appearances and outspoken remarks have earned him the nickname “Prince of Pot.”

Marc Emery vs. United States

In 1996, Canadian authorities seized all the merchandise from his Hemp BC store. Marc Emery bounced back and reopened shortly thereafter. At the time, Canadian authorities were grappling with a major drug problem. Heroin and cocaine killed nearly 300 people in Vancouver alone in a single year.

While his message is relatively peaceful, he speaks for cannabis smokers around the world. However, he notes that after every time he appears in the American media, the Vancouver police arrest him and then release him due to a lack of evidence and solid facts. Some city politicians are beginning to challenge the constant pressure from the Americans in Canadian affairs. The “Prince of Pot” is gaining more and more followers and now sells his seeds throughout North America.

However, not everyone is happy about the growing acceptance of cannabis use. Vancouver is a city on the border with the northwestern United States, and on the American side of the border, significant resources are being deployed to stem the flow of marijuana coming from the north. For Marc Emery, business was booming until 2005.

That year, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) showed up at his store. He was accused of selling more than 495,000 kilograms of cannabis in the United States. Yet he had never set foot there. Charged alongside him were his two colleagues, Gregory Keith Williams, aka “Marijuana Man,” and Rachelle Rainey Fenkarek, aka “Michelle K. Kale.” According to the DEA, Marc Emery was one of the 45 biggest drug traffickers in the world—the only Canadian on the list.

For the first time, a person who is not wanted in their own country has been charged and extradited to the United States. In its statement, the DEA does not accuse him of selling seeds, but of promoting legalization through international propaganda. The United States wants to cut off the head of the snake before it gets too big. Marc now has the funds to support a lobbying effort, organize events to advance his cause, and enjoy significant media exposure. He now faces a sentence ranging from 10 years in prison to life.

He pleaded guilty in a Seattle court and was sentenced to five years, which he began serving in 2010. He wanted to be extradited to Canada, but the Conservative government denied his request. He remained stuck there for four and a half years, far from his loved ones.

Return to Canada

When he returned, things had changed. Cannabis had been legalized for medical use. Numerous advocacy groups were now campaigning, and dispensaries were selling cannabis to patients who had been prescribed it. Marc Emery received a triumphant welcome in Vancouver from pro-cannabis activists and smoked about fifteen joints in a row. For many, Marc Emery is the founding father of cannabis legalization—or at the very least, of the normalization of cannabis.

Although Canada has announced its intention to legalize cannabis in the spring of 2017, Marc Emery’s fight is far from over. As the owner of several dispensaries, he is now offering cannabis to any adult who walks through the door, clearly anticipating future legalization. His salespeople are regularly arrested, and his dispensaries shut down. But Marc isn’t giving up, no doubt convinced that he no longer has much to lose.

He is supported in his fight by his wife, Jodie Emery. She began working with him in 2004 at his media outlet and went on to fight tirelessly for her husband’s rehabilitation while he was incarcerated. She was the leading figure in the pro-legalization movement in Marc’s absence and continues to play that role today in the mainstream media and at the many cannabis events she attends.

Paradoxically, Marc Emery remains a controversial figure in Canada’s legal cannabis landscape. An advocate for full, unregulated legalization, he regularly criticizes the legalization model chosen by the Canadian government, which he considers too restrictive and biased toward large corporations at the expense of small-scale producers and long-time activists. His voice remains influential, even if it sometimes rubs people the wrong way—even within the pro-legalization camp.