SMOKE OUT MARIJUANA VOTERS

I, like so many people, have been content to sit on the sidelines. However,
having spent the past several weeks watching, reading and listening to the
media minions and supposed political pundits slagging and smirking about
the B.C. Marijuana Party, I feel compelled to shake off the cloak of fear
and apprehension that accompanies going public with one's beliefs.

For the life of me, I cannot see what is very wrong with a party that
appears to be pro-West, pro-business and pro-freedom.

Using the government's own figures, somewhere between 50 and 80 per cent of
us have experimented with, occasionally use or regularly use marijuana. One
would think that this would translate into a like number of votes. However,
we are Canadians so the hypocrisy factor will figure into the mix in a big way.

I'm 48 years old and I've been smoking marijuana recreationally for 33
years. During those years, I've enjoyed a toke with many and diverse
people. The list includes fishermen, loggers, welders, doctors, taxi
drivers, school teachers, pilots, lawyers (at least one is a judge now),
professors, hockey coaches and players, trappers, miners, nurses,
ministers, musicians (well, duh), politicians, bank managers, reporters,
news directors, artists, sportscasters, broadcasters, car salesmen, and the
list could go on.

When the government insists on prohibiting an action favoured by the
majority, that's dictatorship. When the authorities act on those
prohibitions, that's imposing the law, not enforcing it.

It's time to stand up and be counted. Remember that it doesn't matter whose
sign is on your lawn, or whose campaign you pay lip service to, you can
vote in private for freedom in public.

Clyde Fowler

Prince George