LEADERS' JOINT STATEMENTS

Ever since Bill Clinton answered that he didn't inhale, political
leaders have been asked by journalists whether they have smoked
marijuana. Canadian politicians take a deep breath and come clean on
their past.

Stockwell Day inhaled when he was young. Ralph Klein has been one toke
over the line on a number of occasions. Jean Charest, Alexa McDonough,
Allan Rock, Gilles Duceppe and a raft of other political figures in
Canada all admit to passing the dutchie at least once.

Since Bill Clinton was first asked whether he had ever smoked pot in
the run-up to the 1992 U.S. presidential elections, the question of
past usage of marijuana has been a favoured curve ball in the arsenal
of bored journalists around the world. And the politicians have, for
the most part, dutifully stepped up to the plate -- either admitting
their youthful folly with a nudge and a wink, or soberly declaring a
lifelong aversion to anything herbal other than tea.

Armed with the results of a new poll that suggests the vast majority
of Canadians don't give a tinker's damn whether their elected
representatives spent their formative years in a stupor or attending
Mensa meetings (90% of respondents said they don't have any feelings,
one way or the other, about Mr. Day's past pot transgressions versus
the exemplary behaviour of his Canadian Alliance rivals, Preston
Manning and Tom Long) the National Post set out to put the issue to
rest once and for all.

Following Mr. Klein's surprise declaration last week that he favours
the decriminalization of marijuana for personal use, and has indeed
broken the law himself in the past, reporters sought out the public
position of Canada's 10 premiers and five federal party leaders on the
country's most popular illegal substance.

Jean Chretien, Prime Minister: Following the controversy
surrounding snowboarder Ross Rebagliati's positive test for
marijuana at the 1998 Winter Olympics, the Prime Minister was
asked about his past drug use while appearing on a Winnipeg call-in
show. "Clinton smoked it but he did not inhale and other leaders
said they use it," said Mr. Chretien. "For me I don't even use a
cigarette. Perhaps I should try that, but it would become a
controversy."

His government, under Allan Rock, the Health Minister, is moving ahead
with clinical trials to determine the medical benefits of marijuana,
but has shown little inclination to decriminalize or legalize wider
use of the drug.

"The government has no plans to introduce legislation to decriminalize
possession of marijuana," a spokeswoman for Anne McLellan, the Justice
Minister, said last week. Officials from the Department of Justice,
the Solicitor-General's office and Health have been studying the
issue, however, and will be following the deliberations of a special
Senate committee on Drug Use in Canada that is to begin hearings this
fall, she added.

For the record, Paul Martin hasn't smoked pot either.

Preston Manning, former Reform party leader, now seeking the top
job in the Canadian Alliance: Mr. Manning, the son of Ernest
Manning, the former premier of Alberta and a well-known
evangelical preacher, is on record as never having tried pot, not
even once. Under his tenure as opposition leader, Keith Martin, a
Reform backbencher also seeking the Alliance leadership,
introduced a private member's bill in the House of Commons to
make marijuana possession punishable by a fine, rather than a
criminal sentence. A proposal that the Canadian Alliance adopt a
similar policy was soundly defeated at the party's inaugural convention.

Alexa McDonough, leader of the NDP: During the 1997 federal election,
Ms. McDonough admitted to having smoked pot, but in a Clintonesque
twist claimed she was "put off by the inhaling process." Her party has
long supported the decriminalization of the drug for personal use and
the legalization of pot for medicinal purposes.

Gilles Duceppe, leader of the Bloc Quebecois: Quizzed about his
past during the 1997 campaign, Mr. Duceppe also admitted to
having smoked pot, though more successively than his NDP rival.
"Yes, yes, I inhaled," said the 52-year-old. "Like everyone from my
generation, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't done it." The Bloc supports
the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes and several
individual caucus members have indicated that they favour
decriminalization.

Joe Clark, Progressive Conservative leader: During his first stint as
Tory leader in the late 1970s, Mr. Clark was a passionate supporter of
decriminalization of marijuana possession. In fact, the Progressive
Conservative government of 1979-80 gave notice in its Throne Speech
that it intended to reform the Criminal Code provisions regarding pot,
but to the dismay of tokers everywhere were defeated before making the
revisions. When they returned to power four years later, under Brian
Mulroney, times had changed, and the promise was scrapped. Mr. Clark's
handlers declined repeated requests for an interview about his current
views on pot or his personal history with the drug.

Brian Tobin, Premier of Newfoundland: It took several days of
prodding to get the normally ultra media-friendly Mr. Tobin to
address the issue, but in the end he confirmed that he is both a
former pot smoker and a supporter of decriminalization. "Like the
vast majority of people of my generation, the answer [to the
question of past use] is yes," said the 46-year-old Premier. "[But] I
don't think we should pretend at all that it is a normal consumer
product. It is one thing to talk about decriminalization, that I would
support. It is quite another to talk about legalization, that I would
definitely not support ... I don't think that a young teenager who has
experimented with marijuana and has been caught doing that should
carry a criminal record."

John Hamm, Premier of Nova Scotia: Mr. Hamm, a physician,
approves of the medical use of marijuana, but that's as far as it goes.
"Decriminalization is not at the top of our priority list," said Rob
Batherson, the Premier's spokesman. Mr. Hamm, he added, has
never indulged.

Pat Binns, Premier of Prince Edward Island: Did not respond to
repeated requests for an interview on the subject of marijuana.

Bernard Lord, Premier of New Brunswick: Mr. Lord, Canada's
youngest premier -- he was just 33 when he was elected last June
- -- did not return calls seeking his views on marijuana. Perhaps the
Premier is mindful of problems one of his predecessors as provincial
Tory leader had with the drug. In 1984, Richard Hatfield, then
premier, was charged with possession of 26.5 grams of marijuana
when his travel bag was searched by the RCMP while he was
accompanying Queen Elizabeth on a tour of the province. He was
found not guilty the following year.

Lucien Bouchard, Premier of Quebec: "No, the Premier has never
smoked pot," an aide said last week, after passing the question on
to her boss. Though past Parti Quebecois leaders and the party's
rank and file have long had a tolerant attitude toward marijuana, the
separatist movement does not have an official position on the
decriminalization of the drug. At their convention last weekend,
however, PQ members narrowly voted down a resolution calling for
marijuana to be legalized in a sovereign Quebec after a debate on
the convention floor. Delegates had raised the spectre that the
resolution could link Quebec independence to smoking pot. "To see
decriminalization associated with a sovereign Quebec, I find that
embarrassing," said Jocelyn Jallette, a PQ delegate from Joliette.
"We should not associate sovereignty with a little joint of pot."

Mike Harris, Premier of Ontario: Mr. Harris went on record during
his 1999 re-election campaign as having never smoked marijuana. "I
found booze a little more attractive," the Tory leader told reporters.
This week, a spokesman said the Premier opposes
decriminalization. "He feels it sends the wrong message to young
people," said Pierre Leduc. Mr. Harris also believes the debate
over medical marijuana should be left to health professionals.

Gary Doer, Premier of Manitoba: "The Premier is on the record that
he hasn't used [pot], but he doesn't condemn those who have," said
Donne Flanagan, a spokesman. The issue of decriminalization isn't
on the Manitoba government's radar screen, and the Premier has no
opinion on the medicinal use of ganja.

Roy Romanow, Premier of Saskatchewan: After days of requests,
Mr. Romanow faxed the National Post an answer to the question of
whether he had ever smoked pot. "No," was the curt response from
the normally loquacious Premier. The government of Saskatchewan
"has not yet formulated its position" on the matters of
decriminalization and the medical application of marijuana.

Ralph Klein, Premier of Alberta: Last week, Mr. Klein came out in
favour of looking at the idea of simply ticketing people found with
pot, rather than charging them under the Criminal Code. The
Premier, who has a reputation as a bon vivant, told reporters that he
has used the drug in the past. "I was asked the question if I ever
smoked dope and I said 'Yes, I inhaled,' " he said. "But it made me
paranoid and I don't want to be any more paranoid than I am right now."

Ujjal Dosanjh, Premier of British Columbia: When he was
attorney-general for B.C., Mr. Dosanjh came out against his federal
NDP cousins' position in favour of decriminalization, saying drugs
harm people's health and society. "I don't believe drugs by and
large, ought to be freely available," he said. Mr. Dosanjh, who
supports the "status quo" on drugs, says he has never smoked pot.

WHAT THEY SAID:

"Like the vast majority of the people of my generation, the answer is
yes."

- -- Brian Tobin, Newfoundland Premier

"For me I don't even use a cigarette."

- -- Jean Chretien, Prime Minister

"... put off by the inhaling process."

- -- Alexa McDonough, NDP leader

"Like the vast majority of the people of my generation, the answer is
yes."

- -- Brian Tobin, Newfoundland Premier

"I found booze a little more attractive."

- -- Mike Harris, Ontario Premier

"Yes, I inhaled. But it made me paranoid and I don't want to be any
more paranoid than I am right now."

- -- Ralph Klein, Alberta Premier