NEW PARTY REACHES TO GRASSROOTS

Canadian politics is going to pot -- literally.

The Marijuana Party said yesterday it plans to run 15 candidates in B.C.
and in at least 50 ridings across the country in the next federal election.

The party has one goal and one platform: "To end marijuana prohibition" in
Canada.

Well-known B.C. marijuana activist Marc Emery will head the B.C. campaign.

"The NDP has passed motions to decriminalize marijuana and so has the
Liberal party, but they never act on them in Parliament," said Emery,
publisher of Cannabis Culture Magazine and director of Pot TV.

"So our job is to shame all the other candidates during the election as to
their shoddy record on the marijuana issue."

Almost two-thirds of Canadians support the idea of decriminalizing
possession of small amounts of marijuana, according to a national opinion
poll commissioned by the National Post newspaper.

"Look out Ottawa, here we come," said musician Marc St.-Maurice, 31,
founder and interim leader of the fledgling national party formed recently
in Montreal.

The party, under the name Bloc Pot, garnered 10,000 votes in the 1998
Quebec provincial election and hopes to garner between 100,000 and 200,000
votes in the next federal election.

"This is a concrete action that people can take to feel they are doing
something to change the marijuana laws," said St.-Maurice.

"There are 7.5 million Canadians who have admitted to having tried
marijuana. This is not isolated to some narrow band of society of
alternative what-nots. The interest for political action is very high. And
the time is right."

Emery said the party will focus on "civil rights issues" and the hypocrisy
of the three major mainstream political parties.

He said 720,000 Canadians have criminal records due to marijuana convictions.

"We want to shame the other candidates on their appalling stance in regards
to the marijuana question. Many of their parties have pro-decriminalization
platforms, but they don't act on it in Parliament."

Emery said he plans to run candidates mainly in urban ridings and on
Vancouver Island, using the Internet as a focal point of the campaign.