LEGAL POT OK WITH MOST CANDIDATES

Those who want to see marijuana legalized can feel reasonably comfortable
voting for any mainstream candidate in Kelowna, other than Conservative
incumbent Werner Schmidt.

Schmidt, reacting to a report from the Fraser Institute that calls for
legalization and taxation of marijuana, said the organization is basing its
proposal on "bad science." "I know from personal experience in education
that legalization of soft drugs is often a precursor for harder drugs,"
Schmidt said Wednesday.

"This is a matter of science. I would need to be convinced by
incontrovertible scientific evidence that this is a good thing to do. I
haven't seen that evidence." The Fraser Institute said in a report released
Wednesday that the government could earn $2 billion a year in revenue if
marijuana were legalized and taxed.

It's not a question of whether Canadians approve or disapprove of marijuana
use, said report author Steven Easton.

"I think it's like prohibition in the U.S. in that period, in the sense
we've tried to suppress marijuana use," said Easton, a professor of
economics at Simon Fraser University and a senior fellow at the Fraser
Institute. "If we treat marijuana like any other commodity, we can tax it,
regulate it, and use the resources the industry generates rather than
continue a war against consumption and production that has long since been
lost." Local candidates representing the Liberals, NDP and Greens support a
change to current drug laws as they apply to pot.

"I'm in favour of decriminalizing marijuana, but not legalizing it," said
Kelowna Liberal candidate Vern Nielsen, a businessman. "The penalty for use
would be more along the line of a speeding ticket than a criminal sentence.

"I think further research is needed on the effects of marijuana use, though
it should be made available in special cases where it's medically necessary
as a painkiller."

Kelowna NDP candidate Starleigh Grass agrees with the report's recommendations.

"Absolutely, it should be legalized. We should legalize it, regulate it and
tax it. We waste precious time and money in the legal system now," she
said. "Pot has been demonized. As a society, we need to recognize that it's
not as harmful as alcohol," said Grass, a university student

Green candidate Kevin Ade said his party has supported legalization of
marijuana for years. "We believe it would be a great source of tax revenue
as well as reducing criminal problems and reducing stress in urban areas

"I don't see why it couldn't be sold through the liquor stores or anywhere
else," said Ade, an artist and daycare worker. "It would have to be a
controlled venue, of course."

Canadian Action Party candidate Michael Cassidyne-Hook said there are
better ways to raise revenue than marijuana sales. "We certainly wouldn't
want to legalize marijuana just to realize tax revenue," he said. "A better
way to do that is to give the Bank of Canada the ability to print
low-interest money."

Huguette Plourde, the Marijuana Party candidate for Kelowna, could not be
reached for comment on what she might do with the pot tax revenue.