HIGH HOPES FOR THE PROVINCIAL POT PARTY

While substituting for a federal Marijuana Party candidate at an
all-candidates' meeting in the Vancouver suburb of Coquitlam last fall,
cannabis-products entrepreneur Marc Emery extolled the virtues of smoking
pot and, according to two sources, urged everyone in the audience to toke
up. While such declarations are to be expected from a man representing a
party whose keystone platform is the decriminalization of marijuana, what
was both unusual and highly controversial was the fact his audience was
composed of high school students, some as young as 13. Today, Mr. Emery is
the president of the B.C. Marijuana Party, which, like three dozen other
minor parties, is attempting to make its mark in the May 16 B.C. election.

The Marijuana Party promises to field candidates in all 79 ridings and,
with the help of a $200,000 donation from Mr. Emery, is planning on running
a sophisticated campaign. It has even managed to hire disgraced Canadian
Alliance aide Matthew Johnston (who lost his job after impersonating
Edmonton MP Rahim Jaffer on a radio call-in show) as its provincial
campaign manager.

Moreover, the party and the press have made much of the fact that, in many
respects, the libertarian-minded Marijuana Party and the Alliance have much
in common. Both oppose strict gun control, both want smaller government
and both are inclined to support Fraser Institute-style economic policies.
Nevertheless, Alliance MP Jason Kenney rejects the notion that the
Marijuana Party might presage a fraying of the Alliance into libertarian
and social-conservative factions. Rather, "it demonstrates the breadth of
the Canadian Alliance coalition," he declares.

Mr. Johnston, who says he lives a "lifestyle that is fundamentally
conservative" but embraces political policies that are "radically
libertarian," states that he is prepared to work for any organization that
"advocates for limited government." And he does not see why other Alliance
supporters might not follow him. It is a way of thinking Mr. Emery
advanced when, on April 16, he sent letters to Alliance MPs in B.C. asking
for support.

Coquitlam-area MP James Moore, for one, is having none of it. Refering to
last fall's all-candidates' meeting, which he attended, Mr. Moore says,
"For an adult to stand in front of a gymnasium of young kids and tell them
smoking pot is no big deal is irresponsible and destructive." A school
administrator also recalls that Mr. Emery encouraged marijuana use. Mr.
Emery denies explicitly saying children should smoke the drug, but does
admit leading a chant, "Grow more pot." Mr. Moore answers that Mr. Emery's
actions are especially reckless in light of a recent U.S. study showing
that teens who smoke marijuana are 85 times more likely to use cocaine than
those who abstain from cannabis.

What's more, reporters attending a recent Marijuana Party news conference
wondered whether its workers were taking their platform too literally by
toking up on the job. Not only did a strong scent of marijuana permeate
the room, but a sign outside the office also urged volunteers to get
invoved in the May 18 (sic) election. If they were to follow that advice,
they would of course, miss the vote by a full two days.