THE POLITICS OF POT

It's easy to take pot shots at fringe parties in Alberta, given the
strength of the provincial Tories. Heck, even parties that are
mainstream in other provinces are relegated to fringe status here.

There were only five Liberals that held seats at the end of the last
session of the legislature.

There were two New Democrats and one Alberta Alliance member. Tories
held the rest of the 83 seats.

That all said, I was perusing the Internet yesterday when I came
across a platform from a little-known party that sounds like it would
have broad appeal.

On the financial side, the party promises "open books and open
government."

Its mission statement says "government financial transactions would
all be transparent, above board and open to anyone who wants to look
at them."

Sounds like a plan to me. There's way too much secrecy in government
these days.

The so-called fringe party has a solid plank on health care as well.
It vows a "revitalization of health care, a reduction in waiting times
and reduction in user fees."

The party I found on the Internet vows it will lower "personal income
taxes" and give cash to cities to help "eliminate this social disease
named poverty."

Hey, I couldn't argue with that.

I figure I pay way too much tax. Yet, I've got a heart. If the
province is going to claw money from me, I'd be glad to know it's
going to help those who - through no fault of their own - are
desperately poor.

The party's no slouch when it comes to environmental issues,
either.

Its platform calls for protection of parks and tax incentives to
upgrade commercial and residential buildings with environmentally
friendly technologies, including solar panels, new insulations and
fuel cells.

If that sounds like the promises of a party that's strictly urban in
scope, think again.

The little-known party cares about rural folks, too, promising a
"comprehensive formula that enables the family farm to exist and
prosper." As for law enforcement - if this group came to power, it
would get more police on the streets, catching the hard-core criminals.

How? It would eliminate laser and photo radar and overturn marijuana
laws.

Does that tip you off about the identity of our mystery
party?

The platform discussed above comes from the website of the Marijuana
Party of Alberta (www.geocities.com/marijuana_party) that's aiming to
run candidates in all 83 provincial ridings.

"We would stand up to Ottawa like no premier has ever stood up to
Ottawa before," said party leader Dave Dowling, 44, who recently ran
for mayor in Edmonton.

"We would stop the enforcement of the hemp laws in
Alberta."

Dowling figures the fledgling party could do that by invoking the
notwithstanding clause of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Ultimately that could spark billions of dollars of profit in the sale
of marijuana and industrial hemp, Dowling believes.

"Eighty years of prohibition has not worked," he said.

He envisions a system in which the Province of Alberta would set up "a
marijuana control board. It would issue the commercial grow licence
and package, inspect and distribute the product."

The legal sale of pot would free up cops to to deal with serious
crime, said Dowling.

"Instead of having law enforcement going after teenagers, they could
go after real criminals like murderers and corporate polluters."

Personally, I don't think Dowling's ideas are all that whacked
out.

But he's still just blowing smoke until the unlikely day his party
rises to power.

The first challenge is the fact that the Marijuana Party of Alberta is
not an officially recognized entity at all just yet.

According to provincial electoral officials, the only way it would be
recognized as an official party on the Nov. 22 ballot is if it runs
candidates in more than 50% of Alberta's 83 ridings. That would mean
it would have to come up with 42 candidates.

"We're still looking for more candidates, who can contact us from the
website," said Dowling.

"We should easily be able to get enough to become an official party,
and contest an Alberta election for the first time."

Yep, being an official party would be far preferable to being a
collection of token fringe candidates.