Prince of Pot Marc Emery is throwing his support behind Conservative leadership candidate Maxime Bernier.

Emery, who is a well-known cannabis activist based in British Columbia, said he saw the libertarian Bernier remark that the Conservative Party has to accept that legalization is inevitable, and Emery feels that with Bernier’s advocacy of open markets, there will be less red-tape involved in accessing marijuana once it’s legalized.

In an interview with the CBC in April, Bernier said, “I am more for it” than against it. “It depends how the government will do it. At the end I will decide whether I will vote for it or against it. But I am more toward — for — that.”

“I gave him money and I’ll give him more money,” said Emery of his donation to Bernier’s campaign.

Emery said he hasn’t seen a single idea worthwhile from any of the other candidates, besides “loony ones”.

“He’s taking a risk by proposing really new ideas we need in Canada and he’s good looking and I think he could defeat Trudeau in the next election,” he said.

Emery said his support for Bernier has nothing to do with the fact that his wife Jodie — also a vocal pot activist — was unsuccessful in her run at a Liberal nomination in the last election. The Liberal Party rejected Jodie’s bid to run for the party in a Vancouver riding last January.

Emery, who has been jailed many times for his activism, including serving a five-year sentence in a US federal prison — said his previous support for the Liberal Party was based on one issue; legalizing marijuana.

Emery said legalizing marijuana will happen, but Bernier’s approach would be less bureaucratic than Trudeau’s.

He said he’s looking for a strong opposition leader to oppose the Trudeau government.

“I don’t regret voting for the Liberal Party, it’s just, I won’t do it again and I think Maxime Bernier is going to be great opposition leader and a great prime minister and I want to see him put his ideas in place,” he said, citing breaking down interprovincial barriers, breaking the maple syrup monopoly, and opposing supply management, as examples.

Emery is also not concerned with Bernier raising social conservative issues like same-sex marriage and abortion, issues Emery call “terrible anchors holding back the Conservative Party.”

“I think he could make it into a very new and dynamic Conservative Party…he’s nice looking, a gentleman, bilingual, what’s not to like?”