Greg Wycliffe - The Prince of Pot LOVES the PPC - chat w⧸ Marc Emery

00:00:00.000 Ask me specifically, is this live? You good?

00:00:03.100 Yeah.

00:00:03.480 Hi, Greg Michael with the People's Party of Canada, Parkdale High Park.

00:00:05.920 I'm with a man who needs no introduction.

00:00:07.980 But I'll introduce myself anyway.

00:00:09.220 My name is Mark Emery.

00:00:10.600 First of all, sometimes known as the Prince of Pot,

00:00:12.600 but I've made an adult career out of going to jails and prisons,

00:00:15.360 40 of them all together,

00:00:16.300 in campaigns of civil disobedience for the last 30 years.

00:00:19.520 And I'm an Ayn Rand acolyte,

00:00:21.840 and it was 40 years ago this week that I first read Atlas Shroud,

00:00:26.180 and it changed my life.

00:00:27.400 So I'm here in this election, supporting the People's Party candidates,

00:00:30.760 and Greg, I came to see you later.

00:00:32.800 Thank you.

00:00:33.400 Yeah, it was great.

00:00:34.840 Tell me about this transition we've experienced of legalizing pot.

00:00:38.760 I mean, you're somebody who must know all about that.

00:00:41.120 It's been sad.

00:00:42.120 See, what I learned about the term legalization

00:00:44.340 is it's literally a surrender to the government

00:00:47.120 to make all the rules and regulations.

00:00:50.220 And the Cannabis Act was done so cynically,

00:00:53.400 it tends to enrich only the police,

00:00:55.580 the bureaucracy, Health Canada bureaucracy,

00:00:58.300 they have thousands of new employees,

00:01:00.600 and all the Health Canada's,

00:01:02.000 our provincial health departments have new employees.

00:01:04.400 COPS got a huge increase in their budget,

00:01:06.620 $250 million.

00:01:07.860 COPS and politicians are on the boards

00:01:10.400 of 45 of these cannabis companies,

00:01:13.180 and they've made it so that you have to have so much money

00:01:15.380 to open a shop,

00:01:17.180 and so much money to open a manufacturer of cannabis,

00:01:20.740 that all the ordinary people that make up the culture

00:01:23.320 are excluded.

00:01:24.500 We're still criminals if we sell pot.

00:01:26.660 We're still criminals if we grow more than four plants.

00:01:29.180 We can't open a marijuana-producing facility

00:01:32.060 unless we've got fantastic resources,

00:01:34.820 like over a million dollars.

00:01:35.780 So unfortunately,

00:01:37.500 it's turned into a very bad situation

00:01:41.160 where thousands of Canadians are still being arrested,

00:01:43.500 even though it's legal,

00:01:44.480 and then all the revenue is being funneled

00:01:47.800 into the people who are completely opposed to legalization.

00:01:50.000 Big corporations, politicians,

00:01:52.680 the Health Canada bureaucracy,

00:01:53.880 and it's sad, sad, sad.

00:01:57.620 And so what I learned is that must be

00:01:59.660 how all legislation is done.

00:02:01.580 Cynically applied, preferential, biased, bigoted,

00:02:05.480 and destined ultimately to hurt the people

00:02:08.820 that the legislation is said is supposed to help,

00:02:12.060 because that's what happened to us.

00:02:13.680 And did at any point anyone from the government

00:02:15.840 reach out to you, Princess Popper,

00:02:17.740 any guidance for anyone?

00:02:19.040 No, at my shop on Church Street,

00:02:20.740 which was the greatest shop of all time,

00:02:22.380 you're never going to see one legal or illegal,

00:02:24.460 otherwise it was nicer.

00:02:26.000 And no one is consulting me.

00:02:27.740 We sold $7 million.

00:02:29.420 You know what?

00:02:30.320 They currently require you to have to open a shop,

00:02:32.560 a legal shop.

00:02:33.280 You have to prove you have $300,000 in cash available

00:02:37.400 to buy your opening inventory.

00:02:39.240 I started the cannabis culture on Church Street

00:02:41.220 by borrowing $42,000 from a friend.

00:02:45.100 $24,000 went to the first three months' rent.

00:02:47.620 I had $15,000 to buy inventory,

00:02:51.100 and I used $2,000 to paint the place

00:02:53.760 and furnish it with furniture.

00:02:56.440 And $15,000 worth of weed

00:02:58.500 turned into $7 million in sales

00:03:01.420 in the space of six and a half months.

00:03:04.100 And anybody can do that.

00:03:05.560 That was my whole idea.

00:03:06.860 Anybody can do this.

00:03:08.400 But now the government, of course,

00:03:09.380 has fucked it up

00:03:10.080 and left it only to the very wealthy,

00:03:12.560 the well-heeled big corporations,

00:03:14.340 cops, politicians,

00:03:15.300 all the people who were against us ever being legal

00:03:19.360 are now the people who are exploiting it.

00:03:21.760 I wanted to ask,

00:03:22.900 because it might be better to ask this way,

00:03:24.560 is there anything good

00:03:25.980 about the way politicalization has been rolled out?

00:03:29.120 Is there anything good?

00:03:29.760 The good thing about it was

00:03:30.800 that it was a good example worldwide

00:03:32.380 to inspire others to legalize.

00:03:34.380 And I have been traveling the globe much of this time

00:03:36.900 telling people,

00:03:37.760 don't screw it up like Canada.

00:03:39.560 What you can do is you can do it like Uruguay.

00:03:41.520 Uruguay people can grow six plants.

00:03:43.880 The government sells it for $2 a gram.

00:03:46.560 Then you can go into a club

00:03:47.860 where they can grow huge numbers of plants.

00:03:50.000 Uruguay has an enormous surplus of cannabis

00:03:53.100 and it's very cheap.

00:03:54.540 It's just $2 US a gram.

00:03:56.420 Colombia allows people to grow 20 plants.

00:03:58.560 If you can grow 20 plants of your own of any size,

00:04:01.400 then you have substantially ended the black market

00:04:04.080 because that is enough for everybody

00:04:06.400 to have as much cannabis as they want.

00:04:08.720 But the problem is you still can't sell in Colombia.

00:04:10.980 So a tourist might have a difficult time.

00:04:13.480 But for the actual citizens, it's a good system.

00:04:15.760 In South Africa, the Constitutional Court

00:04:17.860 has said that anyone can grow

00:04:19.620 an unlimited amount of cannabis.

00:04:21.740 And I know people who are growing

00:04:22.740 hundreds and hundreds of plants.

00:04:24.320 And in order for them to charge you with trafficking,

00:04:26.340 they have to prove you're selling it.

00:04:28.000 So there's a lot of better regimes in the world

00:04:30.300 than in Canada.

00:04:31.240 But I will say one good thing came out of it.

00:04:33.460 You can smoke cannabis anywhere in Ontario

00:04:35.600 on the street

00:04:36.340 and you won't risk an interdiction

00:04:38.540 with a police officer.

00:04:39.500 And that's one good thing.

00:04:41.660 So there's one good thing.

00:04:42.640 Amazing.

00:04:43.480 While I have you,

00:04:44.280 we're going to get kicked out of here soon,

00:04:45.480 but while I have you...

00:04:47.220 By the way, I love People's Party.

00:04:48.620 I love Max and Bernier.

00:04:49.820 I'm totally down with every platform.

00:04:51.920 Love all the candidates.

00:04:53.040 Giving lots of money to Max at head office

00:04:55.420 as well as all the candidates in the GTA

00:04:57.320 at a cross candidate,

00:04:58.500 whatever the maximum was,

00:04:59.600 $1,600.

00:04:59.900 I just completed it today

00:05:01.780 and I'm going to be going to meetings.

00:05:04.160 Hey, anybody watching,

00:05:05.480 I will help hold up your signs at interception.

00:05:08.060 Give me a thing.

00:05:08.720 I've got lots of time

00:05:09.720 between now and the election

00:05:10.700 to help out any candidate.

00:05:12.260 Let's get specific for one minute.

00:05:13.560 And if you like,

00:05:14.220 I'll give you a one-hour tutorial

00:05:15.520 on how to do an all-candidates meeting,

00:05:17.440 how to go door-to-door.

00:05:18.360 I've been in 12 elections as a candidate.

00:05:21.020 I've organized 79 candidates in British Columbia.

00:05:24.120 I've done everything that's possible in an election

00:05:26.240 and I can help you properly manage efficiently your time.

00:05:30.280 Right?

00:05:30.860 Get on those busy intersections.

00:05:32.840 You hold up a sign.

00:05:34.140 I estimate 5,000 to 10,000 people

00:05:36.740 go by a major intersection in one hour.

00:05:40.300 And that, holding up your sign

00:05:41.900 with your website, social media,

00:05:44.940 your name and the party,

00:05:46.460 that's all you need to do.

00:05:47.460 Just 2x4.

00:05:48.980 It's amazingly effective.

00:05:50.240 Much better than lawn signs.

00:05:51.700 Lawn signs get destroyed.

00:05:53.020 They get stolen.

00:05:54.020 People keep them as souvenirs.

00:05:55.320 They don't even put them up.

00:05:56.780 Right?

00:05:57.260 They're wasteful.

00:05:58.340 They're wasteful.

00:05:59.000 Just get 12 Choroplast signs made up

00:06:01.800 and get 12 volunteers

00:06:03.040 at three intersections

00:06:04.340 in your riding every day

00:06:06.500 if you can

00:06:07.260 for three to four hours.

00:06:08.740 It's going to make a big difference.

00:06:10.280 We should have you work in a headquarters. 0.99

00:06:11.640 No, you should.

00:06:12.560 The only problem is

00:06:13.560 I kind of made it look like I was available,

00:06:16.180 but I'd have to get a combination

00:06:17.560 because I think that's in Gatineau.

00:06:18.960 But actually,

00:06:19.880 I wouldn't mind doing a Toronto coordination center.

00:06:22.400 But that might be for the next election.

00:06:24.400 You talked about

00:06:25.300 you're a successful entrepreneur

00:06:27.280 in bad ways.

00:06:28.340 You know,

00:06:28.660 you make $7 million

00:06:29.560 selling pods

00:06:30.480 in the wild west.

00:06:31.340 Yeah, but it went to half a million

00:06:32.500 of us.

00:06:32.960 But I talked about

00:06:33.820 personal responsibility

00:06:34.860 in the debate tonight

00:06:35.700 or, you know,

00:06:36.580 personal.

00:06:37.060 Which is totally lacking

00:06:38.100 when every other party,

00:06:39.620 it's all spend, spend, spend.

00:06:41.160 More government power,

00:06:42.160 more government control.

00:06:43.540 I mean,

00:06:43.900 we're going to end up

00:06:44.540 de-industrializing this country

00:06:46.180 and at the same time

00:06:47.300 promising everybody

00:06:48.460 of every age group

00:06:49.560 of every family

00:06:50.320 an unparalleled standard of living

00:06:52.960 when we're all living primitives.

00:06:55.900 It's not possible.

00:06:57.500 It's crazy.

00:06:58.620 And I'm generally worried

00:06:59.780 because all my life

00:07:01.060 I've seen this kind of social.

00:07:02.900 But they are really clamoring

00:07:05.280 to spend us

00:07:06.640 into unbelievable debt.

00:07:08.280 You know,

00:07:08.840 if kids are worried

00:07:10.080 about climate change,

00:07:11.180 they should worry

00:07:11.760 about the national debt

00:07:13.140 and all these obligations

00:07:14.560 that these politicians of today

00:07:16.280 are imposing on the young people 0.99

00:07:18.540 of tomorrow.

00:07:19.780 It's going to be tragic.

00:07:21.160 I was going to mention

00:07:22.180 that in my final comments

00:07:23.880 and say, you know,

00:07:25.140 we should be just as worried

00:07:26.200 about a global recession.

00:07:27.780 You know,

00:07:28.060 I don't want to fear longer

00:07:29.280 or anything.

00:07:29.900 I don't want to say

00:07:30.420 we're going to, you know,

00:07:31.180 die in 10 years

00:07:32.220 or anything like that,

00:07:33.100 but we should be worried

00:07:34.060 about a global recession.

00:07:35.860 Well, you know,

00:07:36.080 these politicians have made

00:07:37.080 such tremendous commitments.

00:07:38.440 The only way

00:07:38.940 they can even be remotely made

00:07:40.420 is if we keep,

00:07:41.840 have this robust

00:07:42.760 economic activity going.

00:07:44.820 But it's going to grind

00:07:45.760 to a halt

00:07:46.380 because there's just

00:07:47.080 too many impediments

00:07:47.960 on business,

00:07:48.880 too much red tape,

00:07:50.040 Trump's going crazy

00:07:50.960 with tariffs.

00:07:52.000 Tariffs are being imposed

00:07:53.800 while we're being taxed.

00:07:55.140 While we're going

00:07:55.820 into deficit spending.

00:07:57.060 Let's speak positively,

00:07:58.240 too, about the People's Party

00:07:59.420 in Canada

00:07:59.740 because we want to

00:08:00.620 correct that.

00:08:01.720 There's only positive things.

00:08:03.160 I've never met a racist.

00:08:04.280 I've never heard

00:08:04.720 racist sentiment.

00:08:05.780 You look at the

00:08:06.260 Bloc Quebecois,

00:08:07.580 last night,

00:08:08.240 they actually sent out

00:08:09.240 a tweet saying,

00:08:10.140 vote for us

00:08:10.860 because we look

00:08:11.560 just like you

00:08:12.460 and you look

00:08:13.980 just like us.

00:08:14.800 And that's basically

00:08:15.380 calling, yes,

00:08:16.520 it's checked by Twitter.

00:08:17.700 It's calling on

00:08:18.400 the old stock

00:08:19.180 that's the Quebec nativist

00:08:20.760 to vote against

00:08:21.900 any Anglophone,

00:08:23.040 vote against Jews,

00:08:24.000 vote against Muslims, 0.93

00:08:24.920 vote against,

00:08:25.620 you know,

00:08:25.900 anybody not like them.

00:08:27.780 Right?

00:08:28.020 That's a very important

00:08:29.300 and racist statement

00:08:30.760 that the Bloc is saying.

00:08:32.160 And they're counting on that.

00:08:33.960 They're basically saying,

00:08:35.220 look at Jagmeet Singh.

00:08:36.240 You want him

00:08:36.940 to be making decisions

00:08:38.280 for you?

00:08:39.080 Because look how he looks.

00:08:40.540 Right?

00:08:40.920 And yet they call him

00:08:41.620 Maxime,

00:08:42.160 who's never said

00:08:42.800 a racist thing

00:08:43.420 in his life.

00:08:44.200 I've known the guy

00:08:44.760 for years.

00:08:45.780 And yet the Bloc 0.98

00:08:46.500 is avowedly racist,

00:08:48.260 avowedly discriminatory,

00:08:50.060 avowedly fascist,

00:08:51.420 as has always been

00:08:52.240 a Quebec tradition.

00:08:53.540 You go back

00:08:53.860 to Maurice Duplessis

00:08:54.900 and the Quebec politics,

00:08:57.320 they've always

00:08:57.680 not liked Jews, 0.99

00:08:58.860 they don't like Muslims, 1.00

00:09:00.000 they're not happy

00:09:00.780 with Sikhs,

00:09:01.760 they want you to vote

00:09:02.620 for people just like me.

00:09:05.080 And I think the Bloc 1.00

00:09:05.940 is the biggest danger,

00:09:07.200 along with socialism,

00:09:08.280 generally,

00:09:08.800 that we're facing

00:09:09.560 in this life.

00:09:10.480 Wow.

00:09:11.100 And Maxine Bernier

00:09:11.840 is the only guy

00:09:12.320 who wants to unite

00:09:13.020 the country.

00:09:13.780 Absolutely.

00:09:14.440 Max is the best.

00:09:15.880 You know,

00:09:16.480 I've spent my life

00:09:17.540 going to jail

00:09:18.280 to do the right thing,

00:09:19.740 to promote

00:09:20.420 the right philosophies,

00:09:21.920 to promote freedom,

00:09:23.020 individual initiative,

00:09:24.140 individual responsibility,

00:09:25.820 justice.

00:09:26.980 I wouldn't be putting

00:09:27.760 my name on a guy

00:09:29.120 like Max

00:09:29.620 if he had anything

00:09:30.880 like what our enemies say.

00:09:32.760 Max is the perfect

00:09:33.620 politician.

00:09:34.460 He's a gentleman.

00:09:35.520 He's a decent guy.

00:09:36.720 He's got the right ideas.

00:09:37.940 I love him.

00:09:38.560 Thanks for watching,

00:09:41.160 guys.

00:09:41.420 We'll talk to you soon.

00:09:42.600 And thanks so much,

00:09:43.780 Mike.

00:09:44.480 Good to be here.

00:09:45.340 Let's get out.

00:09:45.880 He's waiting for us.

00:09:46.820 He's been polite.

00:09:47.520 Thanks very much.

Greg Wycliffe - October 12, 2019

The Prince of Pot LOVES the PPC - chat w⧸ Marc Emery

Episode Stats

Summary

Transcript