POLITICAL NEWCOMER WANTS TO HAVE A SAY IN HOW TAX DOLLARS ARE SPENT

Marijuana Party candidate Denise Smart is a political newcomer, but wants
to have an impact on where her tax dollars are going.

The 30-year-old married mother of five boys, Smart is a homemaker and also
operates an in-home skin care business.

Smart, a 10-year resident of Maple Ridge with no political background,
became frustrated with her lack of voice in the community after hearing her
children's school bus was being canceled.

"I want to have more say in where our money goes," she said.

Smart chose the Marijuana Party because her research showed her the
benefits of the herb.

She also noted that the court system was jammed with marijuana-related cases.

"It's wasting our tax dollars," she said, noting that alcohol is legal and
can kill.

While she approves of the medicinal use of marijuana, she doesn't condone
children smoking pot, drawing a comparison to alcohol use in our society.
"We don't let children drink," she said.

However, she says, the B.C. Marijuana Party is not a one-platform party.
The party also wants to see a viable ballot initiative in B.C. to allow for
direct public democracy, a school voucher system to allow parents more
choices in education, strong opposition to U.S. military presence in B.C.
and no new taxes.

Also, the party favours an end to street prostitution by legalizing
licensed brothels and offering restorative justice as an option for victims
of crime.

"If we don't take care of our kids now, they won't take care of us in the
future," she said.

Smart believes in compromise and wants to get involved with budgeting,
something she's familiar with being a part of a one-income family. She also
took one year of certified general accounting courses at UBC.

Her campaign is a family-based one, she said.

"The government revolves around everyone, not just adults."