A DOOBIE WITCH HUNT

To impress a quasi-concerned public and bolster police budget demands,
Statistics Canada has had the questionable habit of lumping all drug cases
into one figurative basket. Unimpressed, the Bloc Pot and the federal
Marijuana Party recently sponsored a joint initiative to cut through the
smoke and mirrors of official Ottawa and reveal a disturbing truth.

"Y'a pas plus menteur qu'une police," says Marijuana Party leader,
Marc-Boris St-Maurice, citing the old cop-locker-room adage, "there's no
liar like a cop."

"We recently had the president of the Canadian Police Association say
simple marijuana possession was no longer a police priority--that's an
insult and a blatant lie and we now have the numbers to prove it."

Acting on St-Maurice's request, a Statistics Canada researcher volunteered
to re-examine drug-arrest figures and separate marijuana arrests from other
drug cases. Results showed that 66 000 people were arrested for marijuana
offences in 2000, including trafficking and importation. Of those arrested,
45 350--69 percent of all cases--were for simple possession.

"When it comes to marijuana," he notes, "the police are on one continuous
witch hunt."

Interestingly enough, the statistics also showed 92 per cent of all drug
arrests in Canada involve men. "The underlying message seems to be that if
you're carrying doobie, bring a date," quipped St-Maurice.

The Marijuana Party leader and founder of the Bloc Pot recently finished
his fourth campaign as a candidate in Monday's Jonquiere by-election. In
addition to St-Maurice, Bloc Pot fielded candidates in the other three
by-elections; Sylvain Mainville ran in Blainville, Josee Pellerin in
Laviolette and Hugo St-Onge in Labelle.