POT CANDIDATE ENTERS RACE

Fred Mallach wants to go to Ottawa.

The federal Marijuana Party candidate for the Victoria riding is
convinced that he has a shot at winning in the riding in the Jan. 23
election.

The reason Mallach said he thinks he has a chance of winning the
Victoria riding because more and more Canadians think that marijuana
should be either decriminalized or outright legalized.

Malloch cited the "paradox of pot" as his reason for running.

"What I mean by that is something that's so insignificant in the grand
scheme of things can occupy so much time and completely cause our
justice system to grind to a halt," he said about how
marijuana-related charges clog up the courts.

Given pressure from the U.S. to keep pot illegal, Canada will likely
not move towards legalization Mallach said. Still, he has high hopes
that marijuana will be legal some day.

"That is the challenge but we're not the only ones who are making
great strives forward," Mallach said.

The Netherlands, he noted, recently gave the green light for the
regulation of the production of marijuana in fields. Georgia, the
former Soviet state, is moving toward full legalization, Mallach said.

"So there's a former Soviet block country which is way ahead of us,"
he said.

That said, given that Canada is seen as a progressive leader in many
areas including certain polices around illicit drugs, it's time to
take a stronger stand on the legalization of marijuana, Mallach said.

"I think we have to push forward," he added.