MARIJUANA PARTY ADVOCATES HEMP

Refitting B.C.'s economic engines and the way we're governed are the
mechanics behind the B.C. Marijuana Party's election campaign,
Malahat-Juan de Fuca candidate Ron Anderton says.

"Our platform is diversifying health care, and decentralizing forestry
by taking power away from international conglomerates and letting
communities decide what they want done with their forests," Anderton
said.

"Hemp can replace everything we're taking out of the forest
today."

Anderton, a 48-year-old View Royal resident, says hemp farmers could
sell their environmentally-safe fibre for making all types of paper
that could be recycled up to eight times.

"If we can get a hemp industry growing, we won't need any new taxes
and we'd hopefully reduce them. The public would end up with more
disposable cash to spend and widen our tax base."

Anderton is a former roofer who is on a permanent disability.

He admits to having smoked marijuana and supports his party's drive to
democratically legalize pot for medical and personal use.

His party maintains pot could be sold as a controlled substance, much
like alcohol and cigarettes.

"Its taxation could go into government revenue and there'd be a cost
savings by police not pursuing marijuana smokers," he said.

He estimates about $100 million a year could be saved that's now spent
keeping people in Canadian jails for pot offences.

Voters should decide if weed is another vice.

"We're over-governed and we have to give the power back to the
individual."

Wider use of marijuana for medical purposes could ease chronic pain
and dilute the nausea of chemotherapy, says Anderton.

"Hemp should be the biggest legal industry in B.C. We've got the best
pot in the world so it makes sense we could grow the best hemp,"
Anderton said.

About 25,000 products can be made from hemp crops, including clothing,
foods, and lubricants.

Education is the way to inform voters about its uses. "Our platform's
based on choices, options and tolerance.

"Somewhere we've lost the definition of government."

The Marijuana Party also wants: an end to the war on drugs; a school
voucher system based on credits to schools picked by parents and
students; and licensed brothels and prostitution to control the spread
of HIV.