POT PARTY FIELDS LOCAL CANDIDATE

Millions of Canadians now prefer marijuana to alcohol and a Chilliwack man
is calling for an end of the country's war on pot.

Norm Siefken announced his candidacy this week for federal office
representing the Marijuana Party of Canada in the Fraser Valley.

"I will speak boldly and truthfully in Parliament on behalf of the
two-thirds of Canadians who want marijuana decriminalized for adults. The
time has come for fair and sensible laws," he says.

"We inherited this stupid war on pot from a previous generation and only the
Marijuana Party has a good plan to end it."

Their economic plan is to channel tax dollars collected from regulated
marijuana sales between large personal income tax cuts and increased
healthcare funding.

Mr. Siefken has lived here since 1996, is originally from Newfoundland and
was raised on Vancouver Island.

Asked how his views are likely to fly in the Bible belt, he answers: "I'm a
Christian. I don't believe in evolution and I used to attend church
regularly down south. One of the core Christian values is to stand on the
truth and I will always do that in this campaign for the Marijuana Party."

His campaign literature carries a disclaimer that reads: Norm Siefken is
employed as a medical radiation technologist at several Lower Mainland
hospitals. The viewpoint expressed is not necessarily that of the
employers."

He explained the purpose of the disclaimer is to leave no doubt that the
views he espouses are his alone.

The Marijuana Party candidate is a graduate of the United States Army
Academy of Health Sciences, and a former professional sky diver with a total
of more than 1,200 jumps to his credit.

"I'm a medical marijuana user for a spinal injury I sustained in 1995," he
clarifies. "I was on a crosswalk, and got hit in the back by a car. When I
came to I had a broken back."

He says he's one of the few people in the party who is a certified medical
marijuana user and he says doesn't use the doctor-sanctioned bud for
recreational purposes.

"However, the party does advocate laws allowing adults to choose marijuana
instead of alcohol. So it does recognize the advantages of its recreational
use, especially over alcohol and other legal drugs," he said. "Bottom line
is I use it every 2 or 3 weeks when my back goes into spasms. I never do it
before work."

What about health concerns about smoking?

"Any smoke is a lung irritant and that's about the only thing that's wrong
with it. I personally prefer to make it into a tea as opposed to smoking
it," offers Mr. Siefken.

Is it legalization or just decriminalization?

"I'm talking legalization for adults. We're planning to produce $20 billion
plus in revenues. According to an article in the Globe and Mail, the
marijuana industry is bigger than forestry and may be as big as tourism in
B.C. We are talking $10 billion plus per year in tax revenue, if marijuana
was regulated and taxed in a similar fashion to alcohol."

The country spends about 3 billion per year fighting the war on marijuana,
according to Marc Emery, a former owner of Hemp B.C. who operates the
world's largest pot seed sales business, Mr. Siefken says.

Does the Party have the prerequisite 50 candidates yet?

"The party leaders have said 50 are definite, 100 candidates are possible.
Now, at least 42 candidates are confirmed. We have a benefactor who donated
$50,000 to get things going," he says.

What does his family think of his crusade?

"I have several brothers and sisters in the Fraser Valley. They've given 2
thumbs up. I'm just starting to get the word out.

People have one of two reactions: They're either immediately turned off and
don't want to hear about it, or they are excited and extremely interested in
the party. Most of all, people are excited about the economic plan."

When asked if he thought Canadians already have de facto decriminalization
now, Mr. Siefken responds: "No we don't. In fact 20,000 Canadians every year
are being arrested for simple marijuana possession. It's very expensive
dragging these cases through the courts. The present laws are extremely
hypocritical. Our government allows people to smoke as many cigarettes and
drink as much alcohol as they please while the occasional marijuana user is
viewed as a criminal. That's hypocrisy."

Is he worried about the fringe or wacky label? "My friends will tell you I'm
not a wacky person. I'm a very sober and serious-minded person. If I thought
there was anything humorous about the Marijuana Party's platform I would not
be involved in this party in the first place. This is a very serious issue.
In fact, it's those who wish to keep the current laws in place who are the
minority fringe. The majority want decriminalization."