SACRED HERB FOUNDER, DROWNS

Noted cannabis activist Ian Hunter--friend, colleague and mentor to many
Victoria residents--died Wednesday, August 14, as the result of a boating
accident on Kootenay Lake, near Nelson. He was 42.

Hunter, who moved from Victoria to the Kootenays two years ago, was many
things to many people: as co-founder of Vancouver's Hemp B.C. store and
founder of Johnson Street's Sacred Herb, he was the pro-pot front-man for
many a skirmish in the war against marijuana. As the hemp suit-wearing
activist who once ran for mayor of Victoria, he was an inspiration for
those on the quiet side of the struggle; and for those who frequently tried
to shut him down (or up), he was a chipper thorn-in-the-side who simply
wouldn' t quit. For those lucky enough to have known him personally, he was
also an intensely spiritual man, always eager to share his latest theory or
metaphysical insight.

"He was a legend," says current Sacred Herb owner Sarah-Hannah Bedard, "an
activist legend who will be greatly missed."

Around 4 p.m. on August 14, Hunter told friends he was taking a small motor
boat out onto the lake. When he hadn't returned 24 hours later, search
parties began to be organized. It was around this time, however, that
Hunter 's body was found floating beside the boat in open water.

A wake will be held in Victoria at the home of Felix Reuben, 536 Niagara,
this Thursday, August 22, at 6 p.m. Another local memorial service is also
in the process of being organized for sometime in the next two weeks, but
details were unavailable as of press time. For more information, contact
Sacred Herb at 384-0659.