Marijuana advocate strikes plea bargain with U.S. over pot seed sales
VANCOUVER, B.C. - Vancouver marijuana advocate Mark Emery says he's accepted a plea bargain with U.S. authorities on charges of selling marijuana seeds to American customers through the mail.
Emery says he's abandoning his fight against extradition to the U.S. and will plead guilty to a single count of drug distribution in a Seattle courtroom next month.
He says if he didn't accept the deal he'd be facing extradition on three charges and potentially a long sentence in a U.S. prison that would prevent him from being transferred back to Canada.
Emery says he expects American prosecutors to seek a five-to eight-year prison term but he will press for a shorter sentence and hopes to serve some of the time in a Canadian prison.
He says he'll spend his time behind bars writing a book and learning French and Spanish.
Emery says he'll be sentenced in the fall.
