POT A BURNING ISSUE FOR THIS PARTY

Politics has been called a game of smoke and mirrors, but one party
fielding candidates in both local ridings may be counted on to provide the
smoke .

The Marijuana Party of Canada will seek federal office in both Fraser
Valley and Langley-Abbotsford, now represented by Alliance MPs Chuck Strahl
and Randy White.

The party plans to field at least 50 candidates nationwide in the next
election, which some observers believe could be held as early as November.

"The war on pot is a war on people," says campaign literature distributed
by the party. "It is a hypocritical war on Canadians who prefer marijuana
instead of alcohol, cigarettes or other legal substances."

"Recent polls show clearly that the majority of Canadians are ready to
change the unjust marijuana laws. The will of the people must be
implemented into law."

MP Chuck Strahl joked to the News on Thursday: "We are going to smoke them
out on this one."

He continued: "The political process is open to anyone with a thousand
bucks and a desire to throw their hat into the ring. There's a whole gamut
of issues, and it's hard to build a credible national platform on one issue."

It is a serious issue, Strahl admits, unlike the antics of Sa Tan in the
last federal election here. "I'm not offended by it. It allows good debate
on a good subject. When Allan Rock announced trials to determine it's
medical use, I approved of it at that time. We need to have medical studies
on it to see if it's a placebo or not. Preston Manning used to say that in
medical practice, the quickest way to get the active ingredient into the
bloodstream is through a suppository," laughed Strahl.

Norm Siefken is the Marijuana Party candidate in the Fraser Valley riding.
The original candidate for Langley-Abbotsford, Jamie MacPherson, has bowed
out, and the party is considering several alternative candidates.

Siefken, an X-ray technician whose employers include MSA General Hospital,
stressed he would never show up for work under the influence of cannabis.
He uses marijuana to alleviate the pain he suffers from a 1995 accident,
when he suffered multiple fractures in a crosswalk accident. He receives
marijuana through the Vancouver Compassion Club via a doctor's
prescription, he told the News.

Siefken said he looks forward to public debate during an election campaign:
"I'll be asking my opponents, why is it if I need a heart operation, I'm
put on a waiting list for six months - but if someone sees a pot plant on
my windowsill, there's a SWAT team here in two hours?"

He also denies accusations his is a one issue party. "Young people see the
laws as being hypocritical. You can buy all the booze and cigarettes you
want, but if you're caught with a joint you are a criminal."

Siefken said a "marijuana tourism model," such as now in place in
Amsterdam, would boost the Canadian economy. "Say we had 1 per cent of the
Americans coming up here to smoke pot on the weekends. The average visitor
would spend $200 daily, and it could result in $200 billion annually to the
economy."

Siefken said he is expecting widespread support in the Central Fraser
Valley. "At least 80 per cent of the people in the Fraser Valley are in
support of legalizing marijuana, and I think that's going to turn into a
lot of votes."