After flouting marijuana laws in this country for two decades, The Prince of Pot, Marc Emery, is rallying his supporters before he’s locked up in a Seattle jail this fall.

“I want to make it very clear to my supporters why I’m agreeing to be sentenced,” says Emery.

Emery was facing between 25 and 75 years in a U.S. prison, which, for the 51-year-old, would likely mean a life sentence. His plea deal will bring that sentence down to five years.

The speech he gives on his tour is aimed at inspiring support for his cause. He makes his argument for legalizing marijuana in three parts, reminding what cannabis is good for (preventing Alzheimer’s and easing suffering for people with chronic illnesses, for example), the contributions stoners have made to music, arts and culture (“the greatest athlete in the world, Michael Phelps is a pot head; the greatest writer in the English language, William Shakespeare, is a pot head,” Emery boasts.) and finally comparing pot to many far more dangerous legal things from alcohol, tobacco and guns.

CBC film crews are expected to be filming the Nelson event, and the audience will have an opportunity to ask questions of Emery at the end.