POT CRUSADER SORRY FOR NAZI COMMENT

British Columbia marijuana crusader Marc Emery apologized Wednesday for
referring to federal Justice Minister Irwin Cotler as a "Nazi."

Emery, the 47-year-old "Prince of Pot" who faces potential extradition to
the United States for selling marijuana seeds, has compared the persecution
of people involved in marijuana culture to that experienced by Jews under
the Nazi regime.

"I feel ashamed when my Jewish friends tell me they are ill at ease by my
using the terms Nazi or Holocaust when referring to this issue or
incident," Emery, who once wrote a biography of a Holocaust survivor, wrote
Wednesday on his website, cannabis.com.

It was in the "jail blog" he wrote from a Saskatoon jail last summer that
he called Cotler a "Nazi-Jew." In an interview last week, he reiterated he
thought Cotler was acting like a Nazi, although he explained his use of the
term "Nazi-Jew" was reflective of the high regard he has for Jews and his
expectation they, after enduring persecution, would have sympathy for what
he calls the systematic persecution of marijuana smokers.

Wednesday, he wrote that his view has now been turned around and he
believes the Nazi vocabulary is not appropriate.

"I apologize to the honourable minister, Mr. Cotler," he wrote, adding,
"I'm going to stop using the term Nazi or Holocaust in any future
discussions in print or interview because it does really offend some
people, and making new enemies or offending ordinary, thoughtful Canadians
is not useful to anyone or any legitimate ideas."