MJ PARTY FOR DRUG REFORMS

Candidate Profile

Brian taylor, the flamboyant former mayor of Grand forks who challenged the
system by trying to grow industrial hemp, is not only running as a
candidate for the Marijuana Party in the West Kooteny-Boundary riding, he
is the party's leader.

His campaign, funded to the tune of $250,000 by marijuana mogul Marc Emery,
was on the road this past weekend - heading to the Okanagan for the Million
Marijuana March, a world wide protest for drug reform which was expected to
attract over a million people in 500 cities around the world.

The party is running candidates in all 79 B.C. ridings.

"We've had a great reception from different sectors on the streets: young
people, and people frustrated and wanting less interference from
government," he told the Times.

And though people are joking and calling his group the "party party" or
"Cheech and Chong Party," Taylor said the marijuana focus is only the tip
of the iceberg. What the party is really all about is less government -
period.

"Like the helmet rule," he said. "You can't legislate responsible behaviour."

He said he found it criminal that a 71-year-old man he knew was fined for
riding his bicycle down a country lane without wearing a helmet.

When asked if that meant repealing the seat-belt laws, he said it wouldn't
matter.

"If you took the seat-belt law off, 90 per cent of people would still wear
them.

"But we're making criminals out of old men who don't want to wear a helmet..."

"Marijuana has become indicative of government control on our lives," he said.

Taylor runs the Cannabis Research Institute, which hopes to cultivate
cannabis for the medical community now that marijuana use for medical
purposes has been made legal.

"Although there are only 200 legal marijuana users in Canada, 4.7 million
Canadians can use marijuana for medical reasons... It's hypocritical to
permit these people to use marijuana and allow them to grow it at home, but
they have to break the law to get the seeds or the plants."

Taylor's biotech company sells services, support and equipment for medical
marijuana users and recently applied for a research grant to study
marijuana and its relationship to health.

"The biggest new product is a personal grow unit (for medical users)," he said.

Marijuana is a $5 billion industry, he said, and he would like to see the
industry legalized, which would certainly produce major tax revenues for
the government.

"The Liberals need to balance the books and if you could deal with
marijuana and come up with a good strategy, you'd balance the books."

Taylor planned to be at the all-candidates forum in Grand Forks on
Wednesday and at Castlegar's forum on Thursday. He missed Trail's forum,
sponsored by the chamber of commerce, on Monday.