EMERY WILL SERVE TIME ON POT CHARGE

Marijuana Activist To Give Up Extradition Fight To U.S. In Exchange
For Guilty Plea

Marc Emery, Canada's most well-known pot activist, will serve time in
an American prison after giving up on a four-year extradition battle
on three drug-related charges.

Emery, nicknamed The Prince of Pot, said he will plead guilty to one
charge of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana as part of a plea
bargain with the U.S. District Attorney's Office in Washington state.

"My lawyer has been convincing me for the last four years that
extradition will be the final outcome," said Emery yesterday at
Cannabis Cafe, his bustling West Hastings store.

Emery, 51, said lawyer Ian Donaldson told him he's never seen the
Canadian government refuse an American extradition request.

"He said, 'If you fight this and you're extradited, you'll face three
charges -- two of which have mandatory minimums of 10 years.'"

An extradition hearing scheduled this week in B.C. Supreme Court was adjourned.

The drug charges stem from a joint U.S-Canadian investigation into
Emery's Vancouver-based mail-order business, which was busted in 2005
for selling marijuana seeds to U.S. customers.

Emery was also charged with conspiracy to distribute marijuana and
conspiracy to engage in money laundering, but those charges will be
dropped in exchange for the guilty plea, which will be lodged at a
Seattle courthouse this summer.

The U.S. is expected to push for a six-to eight-year sentence, said
Emery, who plans to ask for a term of zero to five years and a
transfer to a Canadian prison -- a move the Americans don't oppose, he said.

Emery's two co-accused, Michelle Rainey and Gregory Williams, pleaded
guilty last month to conspiracy to manufacture marijuana and are
expected to receive a two-year probationary term to be served in Canada.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Emery -- who it
considers to be among the world's top 50 drug traffickers -- has sold
millions of cannabis seeds to the U.S., which made up 75 per cent of
his customer base.

Emery, who has run unsuccessfully in municipal, provincial and
federal politics over the years, said he's being made a political
scapegoat, pointing out that there are over a dozen seed sellers in
B.C. and over 100 in Canada who aren't wanted by U.S. authorities.

"Nobody else has been sought out for extradition or punishment . . .
except me because I'm political, mouthy and arrogant about it. I'm
hoping it makes Canadians upset that Americans can come by and pluck
out one of their country's leading activists for political purposes."

Emery said he's resigned himself to the idea of jail.

"I'm prepared to take what comes," he said.