THREE TORIES ADMIT POT USE

TORONTO -- Three of five candidates vying to replace Premier Mike Harris
for leadership of Ontario's law-and-order Conservative party say they've
smoked pot -- and one even joked he's yet to exhale.

It's an admission that might once have caused political ambitions to go up
in smoke, but attitudes both about the use of marijuana and expectations
about honesty from politicians appear to have changed the situation.

"Only at Argo (football) games . . . when you had to," said a laughing
Ernie Eves, 55, when questioned about his marijuana use.

"There were some pretty tough years in the Argonauts history . . . oh,
jeepers . . . That was back when I was in university."

It only happened on "one or two occasions," said Eves, who many predict
will win the race to replace Harris Saturday.

"It didn't do anything for me. Watching the football was bad enough."

But Jim Flaherty, the finance minister who made a name for himself pushing
his tough-on-crime agenda and cracking down on squeegee kids, has also toked.

"Yeah, in my teenage years," said Flaherty, 52. "A couple of times."

But, Flaherty added quickly, it was a walk on the wild side that didn't
last very long.

"I have to admit: I didn't like it," he said.

Two deny ever smoking up.

One is Tony Clement, the health minister.

"Not even a cigarette," said Clement

Health Minister Elizabeth Witmer, 55, also denied ever dabbling with marijuana.

"No, I haven't," said Witmer. "Never, ever! Sorry. I've never had any
desire to do so."

But Labour Minister Chris Stockwell, 45, had to think when asked.

"I never exhaled," Stockwell responded in a nod to former U.S. president
Bill Clinton's famous and widely ridiculed assertion that he had smoked
marijuana -- but never inhaled.

Stockwell reconsidered.

"Yes, sure, when I was in school, I did," he said.