POT HEAD AIMS AT SOLICITOR GENERAL

The president of the B.C. Marijuana Party has set his sights on challenging
local MLA and Solicitor General Rich Coleman in the May 17 election.

Marc Emery said he running in the Fort Langley-Aldergrove constituency
against the BC Liberal MLA because, "Even though the public wants to reform
our marijuana laws, the Solicitor General is pushing for draconian
U.S.-style drug war tactics that don't work in the U.S. and won't work for
Canadians."

Emery's party, established in 2001, won three per cent of the popular vote
in the last election, with a full slate of candidates in the province.
"(We) look forward to growing that total in 2005," said Emery.

Emery, a Vancouver City resident, said he chose to campaign here because
"our current Solicitor General has failed to be honest with the public."

This is in reference to Coleman's speech to the Vancouver Board of Trade in
February 2004, in which Coleman said that, "We have just lost a soldier in
Afghanistan. When we first arrived in Afghanistan, the weapons that were
shipped to (rebel) soldiers in Afghanistan, a lot of it could be traced to
the marijuana drug trade in British Columbia."

The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association made an Information Act
request seeking information regarding Coleman's claims and the Ministry
responded: "Please be advised that the Ministry of Public Safety and
Solicitor General has no records within the scope of your request."

Emery also opposes Coleman's push for stringent forfeiture laws.

"Criminal defendants, who are innocent until proven guilty, are left
without enough money to hire good lawyers," said Emery.

The BCMP platform calls for legalization and regulation, including a
licensing scheme for commercial grow operations.

"I challenge the Solicitor General to debate me about marijuana... and to
explain why he supports wasting taxpayer funds going after marijuana users,
sellers and growers. Instead of prohibition, we should regulate and tax the
industry," said Emery.

"The streets would be safer, the cannabis cheaper and the people happier."