Jodie Emery (born January 4, 1985) is a Canadian cannabis rights

activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

and politician. She is the former spouse of fellow activist

Marc Emery Marc Scott Emery (born February 13, 1958) is a Canadian cannabis rights Legality of cannabis, activist, entrepreneur and politician. Often described as the "Prince of Pot", Emery has been a notable advocate of international Cannabis (drug), cann ...

. Until the business was shut down by police, the couple were co-owners of Cannabis Culture, a business that franchised pot dispensaries, later deemed to be illegal. They had obtained the cannabis from illegal sources, according to Crown prosecutors. They are the former operators and owners of

Cannabis Culture magazine ''Cannabis Culture'' is a Canadian online magazine and former print magazine devoted to cannabis and the worldwide cannabis culture. ''Cannabis Culture'' publishes stories about the struggle to Legalization of marijuana, legalize marijuana, profi ...

and Pot TV. She has run a

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...

legalization platform in the Green Party of British Columbia, and the British Columbia Marijuana Party, and in 2014 unsuccessfully filed a nomination for the federal

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

in the riding of Vancouver East.

Early life

Emery was born and raised in Kamloops, BC, and graduated from

St. Michael's University School St. Michaels University School (abbreviated SMUS) is an independent day and boarding school in the municipality of Saanich, the largest and most populous municipality in the Capital Regional District and on Vancouver Island. Previous headmasters i ...

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

. She moved to

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

in 2004. She and Marc Emery married on July 23, 2006.

Activism

As the former editor of

, she has been active in cannabis legalisation movements worldwide since 2004. She began her activism working for

helping pack mail order cannabis as a teenager, and was later hired as assistant editor of Cannabis Culture magazine in early 2005. Emery has spoken regularly at "4/20", "Cannabis Day" and Global Marijuana March rallies in Vancouver and Toronto, as well as other events in Canada and the United States, including

Moses Znaimer Moses Znaimer (; born 1942) is a Canadian media executive. He is the co-founder and former head of Citytv, the first independent television station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the current head of ZoomerMedia. Early life and education Znai ...

's Idea City conference in June 2012 and 2014, the New Hampshire Liberty Forum in February 2012, Canadian University Press conference in 2010, Canadian Investors Conference in 2014, Boston Freedom Rally in 2012 and 2013, and the Burgundy Luncheon Club in 2011. Emery testified in favor of legalization at the Washington state legislature in 2011, and participated in marijuana legalization initiatives in California in November 2010 and Washington State in 2012. She was part of a national press conference hosted by Stop the Violence BC in April 2012 featuring former British Columbia attorney general Geoffrey Plant, Dr. Evan Wood, and the United States prosecutor of her husband, John McKay. During her husband's five year incarceration beginning in 2010 in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, Emery was active seeking the repatriation of her husband back to Canada, including protests at Conservative Party constituency offices in 2010, including the Calgary office of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and holding a press conference inside Parliament alongside three Members of Parliament in October 2013. Emery produced a weekly video broadcast called ''The Jodie Emery Show'' from 2010 to 2014. In 2014, Emery appeared in the

Trailer Park Boys ''Trailer Park Boys'' is a Canadian mockumentary television sitcom created by Mike Clattenburg that began airing in 2001 as a continuation of his 1999 film bearing the same name. The show follows the misadventures of a group of trailer park resi ...

film " Don't Legalize It". Other film appearances include the documentaries "Evergreen: the Road to Legalization", "Prince of Pot: The US vs Marc Emery", "A NORML Life", and "Legalize It".

Criminal charges

Jodie and Marc Emery were both arrested in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, and subsequently released on December 16, 2016 after opening several new Cannabis Culture dispensaries in that city. At one time, there were 19 Cannabis Culture dispensaries in operation, in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. On March 8, 2017, the couple was arrested at Pearson International Airport and the Cannabis Culture shops were raided, leading to charges on a number of offences. The charges against 17 employees were withdrawn, but Jodie Emery was convicted of possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking and possession of proceeds of crime over $5,000. Marc Emery was convicted of possession of marijuana for purpose of trafficking, trafficking marijuana and possession of proceeds of crime more than $5,000. They were required to pay fines ($150,000 and a $45,000 victim surcharge) and placed on two year probation. After a guilty plea, the couple was convicted of drug related charges on December 18, 2017, fined and placed on two years probation. Three other individuals were also convicted of drug-related charges. The couple had claimed that the operation of pot shops was a form of civil disobedience, but Justice Leslie Chapin ruled as follows: "No doubt there were pro social motivations that were behind the actions, but at the same time, I have to recognize that much profit was made".

In the media

Since 2004, Emery has been featured in the mainstream media. She has had many letters to the editor published in newspapers across Canada, and has written for the National Post, Huffington Post, and The Guardian UK. Her activism has led to hundreds of interviews on local, provincial and national television and radio. Emery has been interviewed and profiled in newspapers and magazines in the United States and Canada, including Maclean's magazine, Fresh Magazine, Elle Canada magazine, the Globe and Mail, National Post, and the Georgia Straight. From 2013 to 2014, Emery was a regular participant on the Global TV's BC1 channel show "Unfiltered" with Jill Krop, providing opinions on a wide range of current events and news stories.

Political career

Emery regularly comments on issues beyond legalization, usually through her Twitter account. She advocates for non-violence, tax spending reform,

electoral reform Electoral reform is a change in electoral systems that alters how public desires, usually expressed by cast votes, produce election results. Description Reforms can include changes to: * Voting systems, such as adoption of proportional represen ...

, environmental awareness, policing and prison reform, and affordable education. She ran for provincial office as a B.C. Marijuana Party candidate in 2005, and again in a 2008 by-election. She ran as a candidate for the BC Green Party in the May 2009 election, coming in third, losing to

member Kash Heed. During the campaign, she was the BC Green Party's Policing and Crime Critic, and was elected as a Director-At-Large at the 2010 BC Green Party Annual General Meeting. She ran again in the 2013 general election for the BC Green Party in Vancouver-West End, finishing with 11.39% of the vote. Emery unsuccessfully filed her intention to seek the nomination for the Liberal Party in the riding of Vancouver East, held in Parliament by NDP MP Libby Davies, who announced she would not run in the 2015 federal election.

Electoral record

Personal life

Jodie Emery married Marc Emery in 2006, divorcing on their 15th anniversary in 2021. They had been separated from approximately 2017.

References

External links

Official site

Cannabis Culture
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emery, Jodie Canadian women in business Living people 1985 births Marijuana Party (Canada) politicians British Columbia Marijuana Party politicians People from Kamloops Canadian cannabis activists St. Michaels University School alumni