‘Prince and Princess of Pot’ charged

TORONTO • Prominent marijuana activists Marc and Jodie Emery were charged with multiple drug-related offences in Toronto on Thursday after police in several cities raided pot dispensaries associated with the couple.

The self-styled “Prince” and “Princess of Pot” were arrested at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on Wednesday evening. The pair appeared briefly in a courtroom on Thursday afternoon.

Marc Emery faces 15 counts, including conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, trafficking, possession for the purpose of trafficking, and possession of proceeds of crime, while Jodie Emery is charged with five similar counts.

The Emerys own the Cannabis Culture brand, which is used by a chain of 19 marijuana dispensaries in B.C., Ontario and Quebec.

Toronto police spokesman Mark Pugash said seven Cannabis Culture locations — five in Toronto, one in Hamilton and another in Vancouver — were searched on Thursday along with two homes in Toronto, one in Stoney Creek, Ont., and one in Vancouver.

The federal government is moving to legalize marijuana, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emphasized late last year that the current laws still exist. Police forces across the country have been raiding pot shops in recent months and charging owners.

“This is a move to attack Jodie and Marc Emery,” said Danny Kresnyak, editor of Cannabis Culture magazine. “It has nothing to do with protecting the children or keeping it out the hands of organized crime or anything else that they’re saying in their statements.”