POT IS NOT THE MAIN ISSUE, SAYS MARIJUANA CADIDATE

Some might find Leonard Melman a surprising choice as the North
Nanaimo-Parksville candidate for the B.C. Marijuana Party.

He doesn't use marijuana, recreational drugs, tobacco or alcohol. Not only
that, but he is outgoing president of the Canadian Alliance's
Nanaimo-Alberni Constituency Association.

But as Melman says, you don't have to inhale to believe others should be
able to - and if you take a look at the party's platform, the stereotypes
go up in a puff of smoke.

He explains the Marijuana party is similar to the Alliance in its focus on
individual freedom. But that belief is not limited to the legalization of
marijuana. The party supports a wide range of changes, including
decentralization of the management and ownership of B.C.'s forests,
proportional representation in the legislature and an elected senate.

"The provincial platform is a really broad-based philosophical platform,"
Melman said. "When things are explained in terms of freedom, in terms of
philosophy, in terms of liberty, I think people will open their eyes."

Born in Winnipeg in 1942, the 59-year-old Nanoose Bay resident boasts a
varied and active political background.

"I grew up in a socialist household -- all of my family was part of the
CCF," he said. "My father belonged to the International Ladies Garment
Workers Union, which for years was viewed as one of the most radical unions."

In 1962, he moved to the United States with his family, and at first,
remained a part of the political left. Eventually though, he became
disillusioned with a movement he didn't see as supportive of the business
community.

He had two careers in the States, as a finance company manager and a
securities and commodities broker. During his time there, he also
discovered the Libertarian party after meeting Jay Eckl, one of the party's
founders, in 1974.

Eckl gave him two books to read, Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead and Atlas
Shrugged. Both books impressed Melman, particularly the latter.

"I've been a confirmed Libertarian ever since," he said.

From 1978 to 1984, he was president of the Libertarian party in San Luis
Obispo County, California, a position he also held in Spokane, Washington
from 1989 to 1995.

When his second wife Charlotte died of ovarian cancer in November 1995,
Melman decided to move to B.C., a place the two of them had loved to visit
together. He settled in Ucluelet, where he enjoyed reading, writing for the
International California Mining Journal and exploring area beaches.

He later met and married his wife, Thama, established a home in Nanoose
Bay, and connected with the Alliance and the Marijuana Party after
recognizing their similarities to the Libertarian Party. With candidate
debates underway, Melman is happy to be sparring with the competition.

"I love to speak in public," he said. "I really enjoy the rough and tumble
of open political debate."