MARIJUANA POLL

The Liberal government's policies on marijuana use are out of touch with
Canadian public opinion. Results of a new national opinion poll show the
government's proposed marijuana legislation is far behind the curve. Here
are some highlights:

- - Almost six in ten Canadians say adult Canadians who possess small
quantities of marijuana for personal use should be left alone.

- - There is significant support in Canada for taxing and regulating
marijuana. A majority of Canadians say it should be treated the same way as
wine, beer or spirits.

- -A majority of Canadians say spending hundreds of millions of dollars a
year to enforce marijuana laws is a poor or very poor use of police resources.

The poll was conducted on behalf of NORML Canada (National Organization for
the Reform of Marijuana Laws in Canada) by SES Research Inc. between
October 26 and November 1. The people are way ahead of government on this
issue because they understand prohibition isn't working now and it never
will. Taxing and regulating cannabis would generate billions of dollars in
new revenue for social programs and finally remove the criminal element
from the sale and distribution of marijuana. NORML Canada calls on the
Opposition parties to ensure the government's legislation is either amended
to provide a bill more in line with the views of the voting public or
defeated altogether.

The government should follow the main recommendations of the Senate
Committee Report on Marijuana chaired by Senator Pierre-Claude Nolin. It is
one of the most exhaustive, persuasive and well researched study on the
subject ever conducted in Canada. The government is pretending it doesn't
exist because it can't deny the science or the substance of the Nolin
Committee Report.

The full details on the polling are available on line at www.norml.ca or at
www.sesresearch.com

Jody Pressman, Executive Director, NORML Canada