MAYOR WANTS TO CORNER MARIJUANA MARKET

Grand Forks Mayor Brian Taylor wants to be Canada's official supplier of
marijuana.

Taylor, an outspoken pot advocate who's been banned from entering the
U.S. for his views, sees a potential gold mine now that the Canadian
government has approved clinical trials of medical marijuana.

"It could be a billion-dollar industry in Canada," said Taylor, who
lives next to the U.S. border but can't cross it.

"Our community is looking for a clean, green industry. Eighty-three
per cent of Canadians support medical marijuana and our community's no
different."

Taylor has reason to believe the Canadian contract - or at least part
of it - could soon be his. Brown Bear Medicinals, a co-op run by
Taylor and a dozen others, was accepted as an official bidder by the
National Institute on Drug Addiction.

"They supply Mississippi and the eight approved marijuana users in the
United States," said Taylor, who's in his third year as mayor.
"They're looking for a safe, reliable source povided in a secure
environment and we say we can deliver the goods in 120 days."