The U.S. Department of Justice has refused imprisoned marijuana entrepreneur and activist Marc Emery’s request for transfer back to Canada, meaning that he will likely spend most or all of his five-year sentence in a U.S. federal prison.
In a phone call Friday afternoon from a prisoner transfer center in Oklahoma, Marc informed his wife and fellow activist Jodie Emery that he received a letter from the Canadian consulate with the news that the U.S. government would not approve his treaty transfer back to Canada due to the supposed “seriousness of the offense” and “law enforcement concerns,” reports
Cannabis Culture.
If both the U.S. and Canadian governments had approved the transfer, Emery would have been transferred to a Canadian prison, closer to his friends and family, and would have been eligible for parole almost immediately upon his return.
“I’m really stunned and greatly saddened,” Jodie Emery told Cannabis Culture. “It looks like the DEA and the U.S. government want their pound of flesh, and they want Marc to suffer down there as a nonviolent, peaceful political party leader imprisoned for his activism. This is devastating.”
“Marc has never harmed anyone and has devoted his life to fighting oppression,” Jodie said. “He’s been punished for speaking out for the rights of tens of millions of cannabis consumers here and in the U.S., and it’s truly frightening.”
