VANCOUVER - Hundreds gathered in Vancouver to welcome the return of Marc Emery, Canada's self-styled "Prince of Pot," after he spent more than four years serving a prison sentence in the U.S.
The welcoming ceremony took place Sunday at Victory Square, not far from the Cannabis Culture store in the Downtown Eastside that bears his name.
Raucous cheers and clouds of pot smoke greeted Emery as he arrived at the park.
In 2010, Emery was extradited to Seattle and he pleaded guilty to selling marijuana seeds from Canada to American customers. He was sentenced to five years but was released early for good behaviour and crossed into Canada at Windsor, Ont., on Aug. 12.
Emery, 56, has said he has been arrested 28 times for what he called marijuana civil disobedience, with his just-completed sentence being the latest. He has said he plans to go back to work at the Cannabis Culture store and will continue his activism even if it means more arrests.
Emery has thrown his support behind the federal Liberals after party leader Justin Trudeau voiced his support for the legalization of marijuana, and Emery's wife, Jody Emery, has said she wants to run for the party in the election expected next year.
