NOT MUCH BUZZ ABOUT NEW PARTY

The leaders of the province's two biggest political parties are
feeling pretty mellow about the new Saskatchewan Marijuana Party.

The Marijuana Party was registered as an official provincial party
this week by Elections Saskatchewan, enabling them to field
candidates under the party name, raise and spend money and issue tax
receipts for donations.

But NDP Premier Lorne Calvert and Saskatchewan Party Opposition
Leader Brad Wall weren't concerned Friday that the party would cause
much of a buzz among Saskatchewan voters.

"I think we all recognize that some of the issues that this party has
at the fore of their agenda tend to be more federal issues, tend to
be Criminal Code issues. But it's a democratic process, folks want to
get together and form a party, it happens," Calvert told reporters at
the legislature Friday.

Saskatchewan Marijuana Party president Ethan Erkiletian told the
StarPhoenix Wednesday that there would be no public statement from
the party until June 20.

Like other marijuana parties in Canada, it is expected to advocate
the legalization of possession and cultivation of cannabis.

Wall said he hadn't given much thought to the new party.

"I don't think there's a great opportunity for vote-splitting among
many of the parties but I guess we'll see that unfold," he told reporters.