One of Canada's best-known marijuana advocates is planning to open stores in Montreal this week.
Marc Emery has announced he is opening marijuana-selling stores in Montreal, with reports he will open three locations in the Plateau-Mont Royal. Anyone 19 years old and over could buy some.
Emery and his wife, Jodie, run multiple stores in Vancouver, Toronto, Hamilton, and Peterborough, Ont.
Police raided many of those locations this year but the stores have since re-opened.
He says his "Cannabis Culture" stores have a goal of providing high-quality marijuana and campaigning to end the criminalization of marijuana.
Marc-Boris St-Maurice, who runs a medical marijuana store in Montreal said he expects Emery will get in legal trouble.
"I have a bit of apprehension with the way he's going about things. He's very cavalier in his approach. He comes into town with a lot of media fanfare," said St-Maurice.
St-Maurice's location, which only distributes marijuana to those with a prescription, has been raided by police, and he anticipates authorities will do the same to Emery.
"I'm not convinced that the local authorities are going to welcome him that well," said St-Maurice. "I know he's trying to push the envelope but things are different in Montreal."
Those in the business said this city's force will likely be less tolerant and have shut down pot places quickly when they've opened in the past.
Emery served four years in prison in the United States for selling marijuana seeds.
The store openings come one year after the federal government formally committed itself to legalizing marijuana in the throne speech.
The Emerys have asked the Liberal government to issue a moratorium on marijuana-related arrests while the details of the new federal legal framework are established.
“We know legalization is coming, but in the meantime we have to be cautious, and I can see that appetite to want to get in there before everything happens, but we have to respect the process,” said St-Maurice.
Emery was not available for comment.
The federal chair and vice chair of the Task Force on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation are expected to discuss the findings of their report submitted to the ministers of health, justice and public safety with the media Tuesday.
