Marc Scott Emery (born February 13, 1958) is a Canadian cannabis rights activist, entrepreneur and politician. Often described as the "Prince of Pot", Emery has been a notable advocate of international cannabis policy reform, and has been active in multiple Canadian political parties at the provincial and federal levels. Emery has been jailed several times for his cannabis activism. He is the estranged spouse of fellow activist Jodie Emery, with whom he operated Cannabis Culture magazine and Pot TV. Until the business was raided by police, the couple were co-owners of Cannabis Culture, a business that franchised pot dispensaries. Crown prosecutors later deemed the business to be illegal due to obtaining cannabis from illegal sources. Early life At the age of 9, Emery started a business from his parents' home called Stamp Treasure, buying and selling stamps by mail order. Two years later he started another mail-order business called Marc's Comic Room that he started by using the money saved from Stamp Treasure. The business sold used comic books and earned him about $120 a week. He dropped out of high school in 1975 at age 17 to purchase a used book store in London, Ontario which he renamed City Lights Bookshop. Emery operated the store for 17 years, selling it in 1992. Businesses Hemp BC Emery moved to Vancouver, British Columbia in March 1994, and founded Hemp BC, a store selling cannabis-related paraphernalia. Bongs and pipes were illegal to sell or promote in Canada and were not readily available at the time. In late 1994, a court challenge sponsored by Emery convinced an Ontario judge to overturn the Canadian prohibition on marijuana and drug-related literature, making it legal for High Times magazine and marijuana grow books to be sold in Canada once more. Emery began selling seeds after attending the High Times Cannabis Cup. The business was featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal in 1995. In early 1995 he launched Cannabis Canada Magazine, which was renamed Cannabis Culture magazine in 1998. The store was raided twice in 1996 and 1997. Emery received charges relating to illegal sales of paraphanelia and seeds, as well as assaulting a police officer. He was later convicted and given a $2,200 fine for the sales and jail time for the assault. Emery was also banned from returning to the 300 block of West Hastings, where his businesses were located. The