MARIJUANA PARTY PROTESTS BCTV SNUB

Despite a nearly full slate of provincial election candidates, the B.C.
Marijuana Party isn't being invited to take part in a BCTV television
debate next week.

Chilliwack-Sumas candidate Norm Siefken says the stations move is "blatant
censorship" and "a slap in the face of democracy itself." "It just seems
very unfair and undemocratic, and I'll go so far as to say it's
irresponsible for BCTV."

The party is holding a protest Monday outside the station's Burnaby studios
where the leaders of the B.C. Liberals, New Democrats, Green Party and B.C.
Unity meet for the debate.

Mr. Siefken says if BCTV were being reasonable and fair "then the B.C.
Marijuana Party would have to be included" in the debate based on the
number of candidates it is running in the election, and the party's
popularity as shown by the TV station's own Internet poll. The website poll
shows the B.C. Marijuana Party coming second behind the B.C. Liberals.

But BCTV news director Steve Wyatt says the station decided to limit the
debate to a "manageable" four parties selected on the "diversity" of their
political views rather than how many candidates they may have. The Green
party has been politically active in the province for years and has not
been invited to previous television debates, he says. "They've earned their
political stripes, and they've earned their place in this debate."

B.C. Unity, which "inherited a lot of people and ideas of the B.C. Reform
party" offers the debate a view "from the right-wing end of the political
spectrum," he says.

Mr. Wyatt adds that the station offered the B.C. Marijuana Party a spot on
a special 90-minute broadcast following the main debate. But B.C. Marijuana
party President Marc Emery says he was "insulted" by the offer and accused
the "corporate conservative media" in Vancouver of "eliminating us from
their reporting" and ignoring the story of "millions of Canadians" whose
lives have been "ruined" by the war on drugs.

He also says the station could have expanded the debate forum to include
the B.C. Marijuana Party which would have been more interesting than the
boring four mainstream parties, whose platforms are already known to most
voters. "We're the party the people might be curious about," he says.

Mr. Emery confirmed that he's the major financial backer behind the party,
and that he can't point to donations from union, corporate or members as
proof of popular support. But he says most of the money he has contributed
to the party comes from his "cannabis-related" businesses. "In a sense,
thousands and thousands give me the money," he says, to fund the party
through their purchases.