Marc Emery’s legal future hazy, after claims he was sexually inappropriate with a teen
Posted January 18, 2019 1:52 pm.
Last Updated January 18, 2019 1:56 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – We still don’t know whether Canada’s biggest name in cannabis will face charges after being accused of being sexually inappropriate with a teenage girl.
Legal analyst Michael Shapray says it’s likely too early to know if Marc Emery — the self-proclaimed Prince of Pot — could face criminal or civil legal action.
But he says Emery’s public Facebook post, in which he admits to being a “touchy guy” and “sexually outspoken” may not help him.
“Certainly, there’s things in there that could be problematic for him, down the road, defending claims — if it goes that far.”
“Mr. Emery’s statement that he released is certainly something that could be utilized by the police or a lawyer, if there was any court proceedings down the road in relation to these allegations,” Shapray added.
“He’s admitting contact with people in the age range, potentially being physical and touchy that may or may not have been with consent. It may have been in a workplace situation, where he had a power imbalance.”
RELATED: Prince of Pot responds to claims of sexual inappropriateness in the workplace
Deidre Olsen, a freelance reporter, began a twitter thread writing about her alleged encounters with Emery in 2008 when she was 17 and was offered a job at his Cannabis Culture store in downtown Vancouver.
Olsen says they began chatting online and the nature of the chats quickly became sexual.
“He started telling me about his genitalia and his sex life with his wife over Facebook messenger,” she told CityNews.
Olsen says she eventually agreed to meet Emery and he gave her a tour of the Cannabis Culture lounge. That’s when she says he encouraged her to sit on his lap.
She claims her mother became aware of the allegedly inappropriate Facebook messages and demanded she stop communicating with Emery immediately.
RELATED: Prince of Pot Marc Emery faces allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour with teen
In his online post, Emery wrote “it is my sincere belief that I have never harmed anyone, or sexually aggressed anyone, in my life.”
“Deidre and I had a pleasant correspondence when she was 17, nearly 18, as she wanted to work for Cannabis Culture … To this day I am affectionate with women in a similar way, except they are over 18. And I can be sexually explicit for men and women of all ages if they are adults and it comes up,” he added.
Emery also made a public comment to his accuser, writing: “To you Deidre, I’m sorry I went out of bounds and the experience has become unpleasant. It was immature of me and bad judgment, but I only ever felt positive and glad to know you in our correspondence.”
No charges have ever been laid against Emery related to inappropriate sexual behaviour.
– With files from CityNews
