"Prince of Pot" Arrested
July 29, 2005 5:37 PM   Subscribe

Pot actvist Marc Emery has been arrested in Halifax on the behalf of the US government. Emery, leader of the BC Marijuana Party, runs Pot TV, publishes Cannabis Culture magazine, and has profitable marijuana seed mail order business. It seems a lot of those seeds made it into the US.
posted by btwillig (44 comments total)
 
More here.
posted by btwillig at 5:38 PM on July 29, 2005


Canada, I am very disappointed in you.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 5:40 PM on July 29, 2005


"Land of the free" my @ss.
posted by Heywood Mogroot at 5:43 PM on July 29, 2005


Yeah, I'm sure all the hard drives will be a real take for homeland security. Those damn dope smokers, plotting to take over the world....
posted by buzzman at 5:45 PM on July 29, 2005


Huh, I just sent a letter (well, an electronic one) to CBC and it's already here on MeFi.

I was initially very unhappy, but keep in mind there's still an extradition hearing and all that which will take, according to CBC, 6-12 months. And no one will take this crap -- at least, I hope not. Canadians arrested on sketchy claims of breaking crazy American laws? I'm sure the news orgs will keep on this story.
posted by blacklite at 5:57 PM on July 29, 2005


Is this part of the war on terrorism or war on drugs?

It's like a penile extention.
posted by Balisong at 6:16 PM on July 29, 2005


It's a penile extraction. Marc Emery narced out a competitor earlier this year, and has been a complete arsewipe this past decade. He is widely reviled and I rather suspect his only supporters are the self-same people who are enthralled with the likes of Paris Hilton.

That said, I'd be surprised if he were extradited. On the whole, we Canucks don't much like the loony US laws on drugs. Sending the asshole to jail for life is a little too extreme for our tastes.
posted by five fresh fish at 6:27 PM on July 29, 2005


Marijuana, it seems, truly is the gayteway drug...
Somebody had to say it
posted by WolfDaddy at 6:50 PM on July 29, 2005


Hah, gateway drug.

Alcohol and tobacco are gateway drugs; people quickly seek out things that work better and cost less than the aforementioned two LEGAL drugs.
posted by Dark Messiah at 7:06 PM on July 29, 2005


In Vancouver, Const. Howard Chow was asked to explain at a news conference why city police didn't arrest and charge Emery without needing a U.S. request. "This is information that came to us (from the U.S.) about a year ago and investigations take time," said Chow.

Chow acknowledged that Emery's operation has been known to city police for several years. "You can't expect to fly under the radar without being held accountable."


The guy is called the Prince of Pot, runs Pot TV, publishes Cannabis Culture magazine, heads the B.C. marijuana party, has a store called Toker's Bowl, and he's flying under the radar? The investigation took a year? (Maybe the cops are being paid by the hour.)
posted by LeLiLo at 7:15 PM on July 29, 2005


"Flying under the radar"

Well, geez, it's pot. We don't go insane over it up here like the US does.

Why? 'Cause, well, it's pot. Doritos aren't an endangered species.
posted by Dipsomaniac at 7:21 PM on July 29, 2005


You cracked me up, Dipsomaniac. And you're right.
posted by squirrel at 7:31 PM on July 29, 2005


The same people who believe that an embryo is a fully-developed human being believe that a marijuana seed is the same thing as a marijuana plant.

Are pot seeds a drug? I've never seen anyone get high from them.

The long arm of U.S. law just got longer.
posted by MonkeyC at 7:31 PM on July 29, 2005


Well, I certainly don't wish to see him extradited, but I do wish he would go away. Emery is basically the William Randolph Hearst of the embryonic legal BC pot industry. He's a ruthless businessman, and a chronic media whore. I could think of better people to represent responsible potheads. George Soros should focus on Canada before he moves on to the US. Baby steps.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 7:39 PM on July 29, 2005


Is this part of the war on terrorism or war on drugs?

It's a dessert topping and a floor wax.
posted by mosch at 7:40 PM on July 29, 2005


Emery's pot kingdom is definitely a little much, but municipally, provincially and federally the Canadian government has acknowledged his various endeavours and chosen to tolerate them. Extraditing him - inevitably to be given a far greater punishment in the States than he ever would have received in Canada - would be a complete injustice.


Are pot seeds a drug? I've never seen anyone get high from them.


Exactly. A dangerous precedent.
posted by mek at 7:59 PM on July 29, 2005


Why can't the American government just admit defeat?

Drugs won.

Get over it.
posted by wakko at 8:05 PM on July 29, 2005


And, oh yeah: America sucks more every day. Here's July 29th's proof.
posted by wakko at 8:06 PM on July 29, 2005


American scares me sometimes, as in makes me afraid

But what do I know? I'm just a guy that paid the $5 donation fee to this site so that I could post a picture of a cock sticking through a hole...
posted by bud_fles at 8:15 PM on July 29, 2005


What difference does it make if the guy is an asshole? Is it illegal to be an asshole? No. Is it illegal to smoke a joint? Yes. It's the law that's fucked up.
posted by thebatmanager at 8:41 PM on July 29, 2005


How does one "manufacture" marijuana, anyway?

It's a plant.

You grow it.

"Manufacturing" marijuana makes me think of secret underground laboratories buried deep in the bedrock of the earth, where robots and mad scientists conspire to produce super-potent strains of nanotech-enhanced megapot. Which is probably why they say that, since actual marijuana is about as scary as parallel parking.
posted by wakko at 8:47 PM on July 29, 2005


It is not illegal to be an asshole, nor is it illegal to put your cock through a hole, yet this becomes a different matter if the wall with the hole in it lies on the US-Canadian border, then perhaps the man standing on the Canadian side with his cock sticking through the hole may be charged with conspiracy to commit fellatio.
posted by bud_fles at 8:48 PM on July 29, 2005


bud_fles: Do you relate everything to glory holes?
posted by mosch at 8:52 PM on July 29, 2005


I'm manufacturing some herbs outside my house right now. I'm thinking of planting some shoes and a couple pairs of pants.
posted by mosch at 8:54 PM on July 29, 2005


Yeah, well, it's still illegal....and in case you didn't know, the US is not the only place in the world where it is.
posted by cpchester at 8:54 PM on July 29, 2005


Are pot seeds a drug? I've never seen anyone get high from them.

Marijuana Seeds contain THC, which is why they are illegal here in the US. Unlike Papavar Somniferum seeds, or mushroom spores which are totaly legal here in the USA.

Sucks for this guy anyway.
posted by delmoi at 8:57 PM on July 29, 2005


Yeah, well, it's still illegal....and in case you didn't know, the US is not the only place in the world where it is.

Um, OK. Thanks for that data point.
posted by doctor_negative at 9:02 PM on July 29, 2005


It appears to me you are one of the few truely smart individuals here, picking up on the subtle things, and perhaps the true system of my means...

I feel that it is not the strength of your words that has a large impact on people, but the ability for others to see past the text, and look deeper into the true meaning of the message...

In this case, I feel I must spell it out for those who are unable to decipher my analogies...

The hole itself symbolizes international business, the cock sticking through the hole represents legal and concentual exchange, and the US Government, cum in your mouth.
posted by bud_fles at 9:03 PM on July 29, 2005


For the life of me, I just can't fathom how the human race managed to survive up until 1937, when that heathen devil weed was finally outlawed.

On a more serious note, I will never understand why those who would prohibit others from ingesting naturally occurring herbs can fail to have noticed that laws against Cannabis have never prevented anyone from using it.
posted by wadefranklin at 9:18 PM on July 29, 2005


IIRC poppy seeds do in fact contain trace amounts of opiates, and pot seeds do not contain any THC.

Even if poppy seeds don't, that isn't why they aren't illegal. They aren't illegal, get this, because the plant itself isn't illegal.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 9:20 PM on July 29, 2005


Till you harvest it, right?
posted by Balisong at 10:18 PM on July 29, 2005


inevitably to be given a far greater punishment in the States than he ever would have received in Canada

When this happened, the (Canadian) perps were purposely allowed to complete their tunnel, then walk a shipment through it to get busted on the U.S. side.
posted by scheptech at 10:29 PM on July 29, 2005


Even if poppy seeds don't, that isn't why they aren't illegal. They aren't illegal, get this, because the plant itself isn't illegal.

I'm pretty sure that poppy plants are illegal, and they certanly contain opium (but not much)
posted by delmoi at 10:55 PM on July 29, 2005


Till you harvest it, right?

No, the THC is concentrated in the buds of a female, non-fertilized plant. Not to say that there isn't trace amounts of THC all over the place, but you can't get high off a packed bowl of seeds. I know this for a fact.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 11:00 PM on July 29, 2005


you can't get high off a packed bowl of seeds.

Nope it only gives you a bugger of a headache, and sore lungs.
posted by Balisong at 11:24 PM on July 29, 2005


> but you can't get high off a packed bowl of seeds. I know this for a fact.

And what a waste of seed that must have been.

I certainly hope that with all the money he's made he can afford good attorneys and sort of not do too much time in jail -- somehone I'm doubting for a lot of reasons.

This is really bad -- I'm disapointed with B.C.
posted by NewBornHippy at 11:27 PM on July 29, 2005


> The long arm of U.S. law just got longer.

Not really.

In the eighties, the dominant breeder of high quality Cannabis seed was a guy called Nevil Schoenmaker, who ran an operation called The Seed Bank in the Netherlands. Ironically, I note that Emery actually sells one of Nevil's strains -- Nevil's Haze.

What he was doing was completely legal in the country where he lived. Unfortunately, Nevil was an Australian, and in 1990, went back home to Australia, where he was seized by the Australian authorities, and held pending extradition to the USA.

Apparently, a couple of New Orleans DEA agents had bought some of his seeds by post, and lodged a 44 count indictment against him.

I don't know whether he was ever extradicted, but my point is that this is nothing new. The DEA have always extradicted people who break US laws and by exporting his seeds to the USA, Emery must have known this -- everyone interested in the trade knows about what happened to Nevil. So Emery was clearly breaking US law and while this law is stupid and pointless, the way to tackle such laws is to campaign for their change, not to simply break them willy-nilly and then hope that their ludicrous nature will save you when the axe finally falls.

I also hate the way that such traders paint themselves as freedom fighters. If he'd been sending the seeds for free to people who needed medical marijuana, I might have some sympathy, but he was taking a calculated risk -- to distribute seed within the USA for profit -- and one of the risks associated with that act is arrest and a piece of jail time. That's a risk that you factor in when you make the decision to go into that business, and the profits made are commensurate with that risk.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 1:40 AM on July 30, 2005


And what a waste of seed that must have been.

Desperate times, desperate measures.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 2:02 AM on July 30, 2005


I also hate the way that such traders paint themselves as freedom fighters.

Hate is good! Keeps the population vigilant.

Now, how do you feel about those folks called (by Ronald Reagan) freedom fighters?
posted by telstar at 2:28 AM on July 30, 2005


delmoi : "I'm pretty sure that poppy plants are illegal, and they certanly contain opium (but not much)"

Not quite.
posted by Gyan at 5:47 AM on July 30, 2005


So much for sovereignty

I'm pretty disgusted that this warrant was served. Emery has a long history, but clearly what he was doing in B.C. fell within standards of community tolerance, or it would not have been allowed for so long.

I'm disgusted, but not surprised. I can't find a link, (anyone?) but I seem to remember Canadian police serving a warrant in conjuction with U.S. authorities and representatives from a U.S. pay-TV company. If I recall correctly, the pay TV folks actually went along on the raids aimed at shutting down Canadian companies selling dishes that got U.S. signals.

I wish my government had a spine.
posted by login at 8:17 AM on July 30, 2005


Emery is also reknown for screwing his customers: he is known to take payment but not ship seed, or take payment and ship bagseed instead of quality seed.

He is also a key figure in a project proposal to become Canada's only legal marijuana grower. He expects to become the sole monopoly supplier for legal, government-sold marijuana once legalization is passed.

The man is scum.

Nonetheless, the USA should stay inside its own damn borders and let us deal with the creep on our own terms.
posted by five fresh fish at 9:31 AM on July 30, 2005


while this law is stupid and pointless, the way to tackle such laws is to campaign for their change, not to simply break them willy-nilly and then hope that their ludicrous nature will save you when the axe finally falls.

I dunno. That's civil disobedience is breaking a law to make a point. As long as it's a victimless crime and you feel really strongly about it, that's one way to go. Thoreau in the jail, or wasn't Martin Luther King Jr. jailed one time. Or more on point, they got Woody Harrelson in Kentucky for planting pot. But those really bad ones, untenable wars and slavery, intolerable laws and governmental actions, sometimes people take stronger stands about things. In the 60s you had people burning themselves alive.
posted by nervousfritz at 1:39 PM on July 30, 2005


Thanks for the post.Is it not weird that pot's most powerful effect is on the people who don't smoke it?
posted by hortense at 4:12 PM on July 30, 2005


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