EMERY'S OUT OF OPTIONS

Pot Activist Plans to Learn French in Jail

Vancouver's Prince of Pot, Marc Emery, remains an unapologetic
marijuana proponent despite facing five years in prison.

He was arrested by Canadian police in 2005 at the request of the U.S.
Drug Enforcement Administration and faced extradition to the U.S. for
selling pot seeds over the Internet. An extradition hearing was
scheduled for later this month, but less than a week ago Emery agreed
to a tentative five-year prison deal, which prohibits him from being
eligible for early release. The agreement must be approved by American
and Canadian courts and is contingent on keeping Emery's co-accused
Michelle Reaney, who has Crohn's disease, and Greg Williams, out of
jail.

Emery, 50, insists he agreed to the deal mainly to protect Reaney and
Williams, but lawyers also told him the case was doomed.

Emery expects supporters to continue lobbying for him.

"I'm hoping Canadians start a campaign to release me as soon as I'm
put in jail. It's outrageous. They shouldn't accept it and they should
be working to get me out of jail much earlier than five years," Emery
said Monday. "I have the expectation that Canadians will do that
because I've been a really good citizen and none of us who are
involved in the marijuana industry or the marijuana culture should go
to jail. But certainly not me, a Canadian citizen, I think, of
exemplary note... While I'm in jail, it's a testament that we've sold
our judicial system to the Americans."

Williams, manager of Pot TV, said nothing has been inked yet, so
relief is out of the question at this point. "I have mixed emotions
about it. It's a shame it has to come to a deal and is never brought
before the Canadian courts certainly, or any court, to be heard," he
said. "We've been embroiled in this for quite some time, so for me
it's not really over until it's over."

The 53-year-old suspects Emery had run out of options, but
acknowledges he and Reaney were used as leverage. "I'm not sure he had
any way out. I think if he went across the border we'd never hear from
the man again," Williams said. "So I think it's better for him to be
here for sure, closer to his loved ones etc. Perhaps better for the
movement because we have access to him. And if it means I go free, I'm
certainly all for that."

Emery, publisher of Cannabis Culture, plans to sell the magazine
before he goes to prison. While acknowledging five years is a
significant sentence, Emery said he isn't worried about jail time. He
describes himself as a resilient person who finds meaning in things
other people consider onerous.

He completed a three-month stint in a Saskatchewan prison several
years ago, where he worked as a janitor, wrote extensively and read.
"I kept busy and that's the key to surviving jail--you've got to keep
busy and you've got to have projects," he said, vowing to learn French
and Spanish and write 100 chapters of a book if he's locked up.

"Then when I come out I expect Canadians to repay this debt to me and
make me the justice minister so I can end this war on drugs once and
for all," he said. "After I serve five years in jail, they ought to
feel damn guilty about it since Canadians are all complicit in my
behaviour. They accepted my tax money. Everybody knew what I was
doing. I was very transparent."

Emery's characteristic ego is intact, judging by his response when
asked if he's afraid he'll be forgotten by supporters while in prison.
"I'm the most popular and recognized marijuana activist in the world,
and there's 165 million people who use and consume cannabis and
they're greatly indebted to me for the progress we've made over the
last 15 years," he said.