CANDIDATE SHARES VISION FOR THE FUTURE

The B.C. Marijuana Party has some ideas that could light up the North Coast
economy, says the local Marijuana Party candidate.

David Johns, a 40-year-old flag person and longshoreman from Stewart, is
running for B.C.'s fourth-largest party, the B.C. Marijuana Party, which
has 44 candidates in the upcoming election.

"I'm running because they weren't represented in the riding, not at least
until I came along," said Johns, who noted some people won't want to vote
for either the NDP, Liberals or Green Party.

The biggest issue for Johns in the next election is jobs for northerners.

He said one option to employ laid off forestry workers would be to open the
area to cultivating hemp, rather than timber, as a fibre source.

In addition, he said the marijuana plants in general act as both a natural
pesticide and herbicide, which could prevent the further spread of the
mountain pine beetle.

According to the B.C. Marijuana Party platform, if the party was elected it
would invest in industrial hemp secondary manufacturing including oil,
textile, fuel, paper and particle board production.

"Forestry needs to get stuff happening again," said Johns.

Johns is not a newcomer to the political arena. He has run for Stewart city
council both as mayor and councillor, missing a seat on council in the last
election by a small margin. He continues to be a regular in the gallery at
Stewart city council.

While mining and the container port projects do have the region looking up,
he'd also like to see the Stewart-Omenica Resource road completed,
regardless of who wins the election.

"It's been on the radar screen for six years now," he said, noting Stewart
has gone through two mayors, including Andy Burton who went on to become
Conservative MP in Ottawa, and yet the project has yet to be completed.

"We'd like to get to work up here, definitely," he said. "We are a town of
300 capable of housing 3,000. Our capacity is under utilized. It's the same
thing in Rupert."

The B.C. Marijuana Party platform is based on the legalization of marijuana
and the end of the persecution of the cannabis community.

The party's platform accuses the Liberals of behaving in a style similar to
the federal U.S. government -- increasing the number of police to target
marijuana grow operations, misleading the public about the links between
cannabis and cocaine, calling for a registry of hydroponic purchases,
calling for U.S.-style penalties for grow operations and encouraging
foreign government police to harass British Columbians.

More than 10 million Canadians or 41.3 per cent have used marijuana, says
the party. In 2003, the overall rate of arrests for cannabis use were down
18 per cent across the country but up three per cent in B.C.

According to the party platform, in 2000-2001, government wasted $5 million
prosecuting people for possession. For everyone who gets a jail sentence,
it costs the taxpayers an addition $150 a day to house them in jail.

If B.C. marijuana growers are jailed for two years, importers and
traffickers for one year, and those in possession for 30 days, as proposed
under the Liberal plan, it will cost the province $631 million a year.

The B.C. Marijuana Party believes that by legalizing cannabis, it can save
taxpayers money and stimulate the provincial economy.

The Fraser Institute, a right wing think tank, estimated the province could
realize two billion dollars in provincial revenue from taxing B.C.'s
marijuana industry.