Marc Emery
A Canadian activist who turned selling marijuana seeds into a global crusade for legalization, facing prison to challenge drug laws.
Born 1958 (age 68)·Canadian politician·Birthday: February 13·Baby Boomers
Biography
Marc Emery emerged from a libertarian bookstore owner in London, Ontario, into a self-styled revolutionary for cannabis. His activism was never quiet; he openly sold seeds worldwide through his magazine, Cannabis Culture, daring authorities to stop him. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration took the dare, securing his extradition in 2010 on charges that led to a five-year prison sentence—a period he used as a martyrdom platform. More than a merchant, Emery was a political thorn, founding the BC Marijuana Party and funding activist groups across borders. His life is a testament to confrontational civil disobedience, blending showmanship with a genuine belief in personal freedom, which helped shift public opinion on cannabis long before Canada’s national legalization.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Marc was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Marc Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Marc's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Founded the BC Marijuana Party, the first political party in Canada dedicated to cannabis legalization.
- Successfully operated a mail-order cannabis seed business that shipped to thousands of customers globally.
- Was extradited to and imprisoned in the United States for his seed-selling activities, becoming a symbol in the legalization fight.
- Used proceeds from his business to fund marijuana activism and political parties across multiple countries.
Did You Know?
He ran for Mayor of Vancouver in 1996 and received over 6,000 votes.
Emery was jailed in Canada in 2009 for 30 days for contempt of court after publicly criticizing a judge.
He once offered a $100,000 reward for the arrest of former U.S. President George W. Bush.
His extradition deal required him to serve his entire sentence in the U.S., waiving any right to a transfer to a Canadian prison.
“I'm a political prisoner of the American government, and I'm proud of it.”
