THE LONGLEY AND WINDING ROAD

The last federal election in this country was June 28, 2004. Not even one
year later, the alleged activities of Uncle Paul and the Sponsorship Gang
means that most political parties are scrambling to prepare for another
election.

Blair T. Longley, leader of the Marijuana Party of Canada, shared his
thoughts on the impending election with XPress.

Who is Blair Longley?

"I am like a grandfather of the Marijuana Party. I was the first person back
in Vancouver in 1987 to get away with publicly cultivating pot and be let
off, acquitted, even though I was clearly doing it. There was absolutely no
doubt about it, but I was let go. The whole story is very amusing."

After walking away completely unscathed, Longley followed higher ambitions.

"I pursued the political contribution tax credit, and a case against Revenue
Canada, that lasted a decade. I finally won. They had to pay me $50,000 in
punitive damages. I had proven that Revenue Canada had been dishonest,
arrogant and high-handed, and that they had been lying to taxpayers right
from the beginning."

Time for a reality trip

"Marijuana laws are the single, simplest symbol of how corrupt and crazy the
government actually is. It is a fact that marijuana is actually the best
single plant on the planet for people. It is the best source of food, the
best source of edible oil, it is the best fibre, it has a good annual
biomass. It is still just a plant. It does not have miraculous powers. The
recreational thing is fringe benefit. It is not the major thing."

Statistics are awesome

"Three-quarters of the drug war is against pot. One million dollars per day
is spent federally. Another $1 million per day provincially. That's millions
of dollars per day that could be used in taxes, not wasted on prohibition
that doesn't work. Thirty per cent of the criminal justice system is wasted
on trying to bust potheads and persecute plants. The 'overgrow the
government' strategy is a practical reality. Hundreds of thousands of people
must be growing pot. Is it possible to have a huge concentration camp? Let's
lock up a million Canadians."

Medicinal marijuana

"You do have a constitutional right to medicinal marijuana. The medical
marijuana exemption is a magic umbrella. If you know your rights, and have
the strength of your convictions, you can pop open your umbrella and your
stand."

Why run in the next election?

"A Marijuana Party candidate only has to agree that we should stop
criminalizing cannabis. After that, they retain all of their own freedoms to
follow their own conscience, and their own freedom of action. You can make
any statements to the electorate based upon your own recognizance, and try
to determine what you think you would do if elected."

Get up, stand up

"I say: I am serious, the system is absurd, and let's try and do at least
one thing rather than nothing. The main thing is to get the names on the
ballot, so people can vote for the Marijuana Party. Plus, to understand pot
politics, you require a paradigm shift. The government is the basis of
organized crime. The law is based upon dishonesty backed up with violence."