KATZ NIPS POT PARTY IN BUD

Refuses Support For Convention

IT'S not often Mayor Sam Katz turns down the chance to attract a
big-money convention to Winnipeg.

But he has refused to write a letter of support to lure a conference
promising up to 4,000 people and several million dollars.

The problem? Katz apparently doesn't want his city going to
pot.

The national convention of the Canadian Cannabis Coalition will
feature speakers, workshops, a concert and a trade fair with as many
as 400 booths. Exhibitors would include organic marijuana-growing
experts, health and research firms as well as companies specializing
in marijuana-smoking paraphernalia.

But the possibility of holding the cannabis convention here was nipped
in the bud after Katz refused to write a letter of support. Paul
Hughes, a Canadian Cannabis Coalition board member, said Katz is so
far the only big-city mayor to refuse support for the conference,
called CannaFair 2006.

Katz refused to comment, but Hughes said he feared the mayor didn't
grasp the legitimate nature of the conference.

"I don't know if the mayor understands the breadth of what was
presented to him," said Hughes, a Manitoba native who uses marijuana
to relieve pain from an old military injury.

"We are against big grow ops. We're not affiliated with organized
crime. This is about medical marijuana," he said.

Before Katz kiboshed the bid, the coalition received letters from
Destination Winnipeg and the Winnipeg Convention Centre pledging to
help find ways to bring the conference to the city. It would be held
next October or November.

But Hughes said Destination Winnipeg was forced to back off when the
mayor refused to write a letter endorsing the conference.

Destination Winnipeg spokeswoman Janice Tober said the tourism agency
would still help the coalition with pamphlets and advice if the group
chooses to hold its conference in Winnipeg.

Support from city hall is one of 14 criteria the coalition is using to
determine which city would make the best locale for its conference.

The cold shoulder from Katz means Winnipeg has effectively been
crossed off the coalition's list of possible host cities. One city
councillor questioned the coalition's motives in requiring a mayor's
endorsement as a condition for a city hosting the conference.

'Why do they need a letter?'

"Why do they need a letter from the mayor or anyone else?" asked Coun.
Harry Lazarenko (Mynarski). "If they want to hold a conference, book
the space and have the conference."

If they're not doing anything illegal, authorities will leave them
alone, he said.

Lazarenko said he wouldn't endorse such a conference.

"I think what they're trying to do is embarrass the
mayor."

The conference has a $1-million budget and expects to attract 3,000 to
4,000 visitors -- a number similar to international conferences held
in the United States, said Hughes.

There are about 1,000 Canadians who are authorized to possess
marijuana for medical conditions ranging from AIDS to multiple
sclerosis, once a doctor has indicated that traditional remedies are
ineffective. Most of these have permission to grow the plant
themselves, while Health Canada has authorized more than 70 growers to
produce it for other patients.

Ottawa is expected to begin selling medical marijuana in some
drugstores early next year as part of a pilot project.

"We're trying to put a level-headed spin on this," said Hughes.
"There's a difference between producing 12 plants in a closet in your
home for yourself and 1,200 in your entire basement to make a profit."