KITCHENER — Jeffrey Shaver, the Cambridge man who made international headlines for his nearly naked protests demanding police return his bong and pot, is back in the limelight.

Shaver, 32, says he plans to sue Waterloo Regional Police, several police officers and the attorneys general of Ontario and Canada for a total of $3 million, alleging false arrest and malicious prosecution.

The suit, filed in October at the Kitchener courthouse, has not been served on the parties, Shaver said in an interview on Thursday. He expects that will happen within a few weeks.

"I tried to negotiate in good faith with them to get this issue dealt with," Shaver said. "I haven't got any acknowledgement other than a basic sorry."

On Oct. 20, 2016, Shaver was arrested by regional police at Cambridge Memorial Hospital and charged with possession of marijuana, possession of a weapon, assault and causing a disturbance.

Shaver had a document showing he was allowed to smoke medical marijuana but was still charged with pot possession. In his lawsuit he says the Crown "refused to drop the (marijuana) possession charges until September of 2017."

At the hospital, police seized Shaver's bong and pot, sparking several attention-getting protests in which he wore a skimpy underwear or a thong while smoking a bong. His bong and pot were later returned.

On Oct. 22, 2016, Shaver legally smoked medical marijuana in front of the Cambridge police station and was charged with pot possession and a breach.

"I was held for 18 hours in jail ... when I had the proper documentation," Shaver said on Thursday. Those charges were dropped two months later, Shaver said.

The arrests "affected my health and mental health, also limiting my ability to work," Shaver says in the lawsuit.

Shaver last year lodged an official complaint, claiming police were wrong to charge him twice with pot possession and alleging there was no legal justification for being handcuffed, strip-searched and detained on Oct. 22. He alleged the actions amounted to excessive force.

After an investigation, the professional standards branch of Waterloo Regional Police earlier this year ruled Shaver was legally allowed to have marijuana and concluded officers unlawfully arrested, searched and detained him on Oct. 22.

"Because there was no lawful authority to arrest the complainant, the use of force is considered unlawful and/or unnecessary by definition," the professional standards branch said in a report.

On both Oct. 20 and 22, officers wrongly believed Shaver needed Health Canada documents to prove he was legally allowed to smoke pot, the report said. Officers didn't know that in 2014, Health Canada documents were replaced by documents from licensed producers, which Shaver had.

The officers said they received no formal training on medical pot issues, the report said.

"I'm still facing problems with other police forces refusing to accept proper documentation, such as the OPP," Shaver said, adding he may also sue the OPP. "This (lawsuit) is really the only way you can effect the change."

Because the lawsuit hasn't been served, Waterloo Regional Police and the attorneys general of Ontario and Canada have not seen it and had no comment on Thursday.

Starting on Monday, Shaver will stand trial on three charges from the Cambridge hospital arrest: possession of a weapon (dog spray), assault (for allegedly resisting arrest) and causing a disturbance.

Shaver previously said he was at the hospital after having a panic attack. He said he "had an issue with the vending machine" and wound up getting searched and charged.

In August 2017, Shaver's nearly naked protests made headlines around the world. Coverage got top spot on vice.com under the headline, "This Speedo-Wearing Dude Wants His Bong and Weed Back."

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In September 2017, Shaver was charged with public nudity for wearing a thong with his "buttocks exposed" in front of the Kitchener courthouse, police said at the time. A pretrial on the charge is set for January, Shaver said.

Shaver unsuccessfully ran for regional council in the November election.