RETURN OF PERSONAL FREEDOMS

TO HELP OUR readers make an informed decision on May 16, The News has
offered each candidate the space for a 300-word essay. The following is
the submission from Leonard Melman, Marijuana Party candidate for
Nanaimo-Parksville.

Voters in the upcoming provincial election have a rare opportunity to
have their vote make a genuine difference.

For decades British Columbians' choice has been limited to "big
government" or "bigger government". All major parties to date have had
as their central theme that they wish to obtain electoral victory to
utilize the power of government to accomplish their version of "public
good".

Under this philosophy we have seen that the bureaucracy grows from
generation to generation while tax revenues increase and public debt
rises. There is one party and one party only in this contest that states
clearly that this is wrong.

We need less bureaucracies, not more. We need less taxation, not more.
We need more individual liberty, not less. That party is the BC
Marijuana Party.

Yes, we certainly do call for the legalization of the production,
distribution and consumption of all forms of cannabis. And we certainly
call for the immediate medical use of cannabis in all its forms.

But there is so much more to the party platform than just our positions
regarding marijuana. We call for a voucher system to enable the fresh
air of open competition to enter our education system. We advocate
calling for a ballot initiative system giving British Columbians the
chance to have genuine and meaningful input into legislation.

We advocate for First Nations people the right to self-determination,
including the restoration of their historic usage of cannabis and other
sacred plants.

British Columbians have never before been offered the choice of voting
for a party which stood so clearly for individual rights, individual
liberty and individual responsibility. That choice is now being offered
by the BC Marijuana Party.

In short, a vote for the BC Marijuana Party is the strongest possible
vote in favour of less government combined with truly enhanced
individual liberty.