Login / RegisterPrince of Pot Marc Emery vows to defend his headquarters
Vancouver’s so-called Prince of Pot is vowing that he won’t be smoked out of his downtown stronghold.
Marc Emery, leader of the B.C. Marijuana Party, will know after a hearing tonight (April 9) if city hall will issue licences or shut down his businesses on West Hastings Street.
"We’re still going to litigate to stay there," Emery told the Straight. "We’re not leaving."
A three-storey building at 307 West Hastings Street houses the world-famous Cannabis Culture Headquarters, a retail store selling pipes and bongs, shirts, books, and assorted items, as well as the offices of Cannabis Culture magazine and Pot TV. Across the street is a convenience store Emery opened last year.
"The previous three mayors—Philip Owen, Larry Campbell, and Sam Sullivan—have made arrangements”¦that we didn’t need a business licence because we were doing good things, and it was complicated for them to try and license us, so they just said we didn’t require one as long as we behave and maintain good order," Emery recalled.
Emery suggested that the police are behind attempts to get rid of him.
"Hastings Street is the corridor for the Olympics, and so all the VIPs and all the athletes would go by our store, and they don’t want them to go by our store with all its signs on it that say ”˜Legalize marijuana’ and all that sort of stuff," he said.
Vision Vancouver councillor Kerry Jang said he couldn’t comment on Emery’s suggestion that police are exerting pressure on city hall.
But Jang explained to the Straight that the council panel in charge of the business-licence hearing has to answer three questions in order to make a decision. First, is a business working within the law? Second, is it having an undue negative impact on the neighbourhood? Lastly, is the business costing the city money in terms of policing?
Businesses working within the law is a somewhat loose term also, I would think those law firms, real estate agents, banks and car lots that help to launder the billions of dollars of illicit crime dollars in this province should also lose their licences.
The UN recently reported that global organized crime money repesents an equivalent GDP as the 20th wealthiest nation on the planet. Imagine organized crime taking a seat at a G-20 meeting. How fitting. Bankers, politicians and criminals at the same table.
So please Vision Vancouver, in your most recent cleansing operation for the 2010 Games, leave no stone unturned.
http://www.straight.com/article-155745/my-5000-votes-would-sink-robertso...
"Marc Emery: "My 5,000 votes" would sink Gregor Robertson
By Matthew Burrows
Happy Planet juice and marijuana clearly don’t mix.
At least not according to Marc Emery, Canada’s so-called Prince of Pot and leader of the B.C. Marijuana Party. Emery is taking aim at Vision Vancouver mayoral nominee Gregor Robertson for the tough law-and-order stance on marijuana grow-ops he took earlier this month.
"At the local level, I am appalled that Gregor Robertson would say on the one hand he wants to legalize—and tax and regulate—marijuana, but until then he wants to round up as many grow-op growers of marijuana as possible," Emery told the Straight by phone.
Robertson’s position could propel Emery into a mayoral race for the third time, following campaigns in 1996 and 2002. This time, Emery said he is determined to act as a spoiler unless Robertson recants his comments "within 30 days"."