Advertisement

Prince of Pot Mark Emery hopes to campaign on behalf of Justin Trudeau’s Liberals upon jail release

Marc Emery wants to join Liberal leader Justin Trudeau on the campaign trail for 2015.

Emery — Vancouver's so-called Prince of Pot — is currently serving a five-year sentence in a U.S. jail for selling cannibus seeds to American customers.

He's set to be released in a couple of weeks and, according to the Georgia Straight newspaper, he wants to help Trudeau become the next prime minister of Canada.

"Emery’s relatively-newfound support for the Liberals is firmly rooted in his life’s work aimed at ending the prohibition of marijuana. In November 2012, Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau revealed that he was a “huge supporter of decriminalization”, and that he wanted Canada to take a serious look at legalizing and regulating the drug.

“Normally, they all wait until they’ve retired out of politics before they advocate the legalization route,” [Emery] explained. “Justin Trudeau is the only leader of a Canadian political party with any chance of forming the government who’s ever done this. I thought it was pretty brave of him.”

Emery told the Georgia Straight that, come September, he and his wife Jodi will embark on a 30-stop cross-country tour to help 'prepare for the 2015 election.'

[ Related: Indian election results may hold an important lesson for Justin Trudeau ]

How do the Liberals feel about a convicted individual -- such as Emery -- campaigning on their behalf?

"Marc Emery does not have any role in the Liberal Party of Canada," Olivier Duchesneau, a spokesperson for the party, told Yahoo Canada News.

"He has not contacted us, or offered to campaign for us, or help us in any way. We have never had any discussions with him regarding any possible involvement."

[ More Politics: Saskatchewan's Brad Wall is Canada’s most popular premier yet again ]

While Emery's pro-pot campaign might help the Liberals get some votes, at least one pollster predicts that it, as a single issue, won't become a ballot box question.

"I don't think it will drive voter turnout up alone because young Canadians are worried about more personal issues," Abacus Data's David Coletto told Yahoo Canada News last summer.

"In a survey we did in October 2012, only 4 per cent of Millennials aged 18 to 30 we surveyed ranked decriminalization of marijuana as one of the most important issues facing youth today in Canada. Finding a job, student debt, and affordable housing were far more likely to be ranked as top issues."

(Photo courtesy of the Canadian Press)

Are you a politics junkie?
Follow @politicalpoints on Twitter!