PARTY PUSHES FOR ACCEPTANCE

Touring the province in a bus once used by U.S. president Ronald Reagan and
wrestling legend and Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, the B.C. Marijuana
Party hopes some of its good luck will rub off.

Party leader Brian Taylor and a small entourage made a pit stop in Vernon
Saturday before they made their way to Kamloops for the Million Marijuana
March.

"It seems ironic that we are on a bus used by Ronald Reagan, since the
whole darn war on drugs seem to escalate with him about 20 years ago," said
Taylor, the former mayor of Grand Forks from 1997 to 1999.

"Now here we are 20 years later trying to correct his mistake."

The party's platform is to take marijuana off the criminal record books and
turn it into a industry in the province.

Taylor said while the party has been making ground at a grass-roots level
he feels they have been unfairly treated during the election. Taylor said
he is upset with some comments made in public by a Vancouver RCMP officer
who said it was "irresponsible" to run under the Marijuana banner.

The party leader is also upset that they were left out of the leaders
debate and the fact that they are not mentioned when polls are conducted on
voters preference.

"Being excluded was a major blow. We felt we've moved to the mainstream."

Taylor points to the jump in the polls by the Green party after the last
leaders debate.

"That's the type of exposure we need, and deserve."

Taylor said he assumes they are excluded by the mainstream because of a
fear of the "sky is falling" scenario if they were given more exposure.

"Everyone fears a collapse of society if pot were decriminalized. But
everywhere it's happened, youth consumption rates have dropped substantially."

While the party tries to move to gain legitimacy with the public, Taylor
said there is the distinct possibility his party could win a couple of seats.

He said tight races in the Sunshine Coast and the Kootenays, where the vote
could be split, could open the door for the party to come up the middle.

"If everyone who ever tried marijuana voted for us, we'd get 40 per cent of
the vote. We're just trying to reduce hypocrisy by 40 per cent in B.C."