cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Party Ready To Roll





Marijuana Party Ready To Roll
Posted by CN Staff on June 01, 2004 at 13:29:26 PT
By Donald McKenzie
Source: Canadian Press 
Montreal -- The Marijuana Party rolled out its election platform on Tuesday, hoping its 100 or so candidates can convince voters that it's more than just a token party. The grassroots organization aims to field candidates in every region of Canada except Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and the Northwest Territories. One of the most intriguing contests will pit party leader Marc-Boris St-Maurice against Prime Minister Paul Martin in the Montreal riding of LaSalle-Emard.
"We're going to try to find out a little bit more about Sheila's brownies," St-Maurice joked, referring to the prime minister's comment at the end of last year that his wife once made strange-tasting brownies. But St-Maurice, who launched the campaign surrounded by marijuana paraphernalia, including leaves, bags of seeds and posters emblazoned with the party's "Let's Roll" slogan, later said he believes it is inappropriate to ask people if they've used dope. "To be honest, I don't really care whether Paul Martin smoked marijuana or not. I really care if he's going to legalize it." Legislation aimed at decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana died in the Commons this spring. St-Maurice, who finished fourth when he ran against Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe in another Montreal riding in the 2000 election, wants voters to know he and his fellow candidates aren't taking the election lightly. "This is a serious issue and it's a serious party that is addressing a serious issue in a serious nature. Politics, this is not playtime. We want to change the law, and government is where laws are enacted. The 35-year-old, whose party garnered more than 66,000 votes in 2000 and is aiming for more than 100,000 on June 28, admits the Marijuana Party is focused on one topic but says it's high time it got more attention. "We are a single-issue party but that issue covers finances, social climate, justice, international relations and agriculture. "There's hardly any ministry that isn't affected. In fact, I think there should be a ministry of marijuana at some point." St-Maurice made a special point of praising Winnipeg as "very fertile ground," saying virtually every riding in the Manitoba capital will have a Marijuana Party candidate. Quebec, with some 40 hopefuls, and Ontario, with about 25, will lead the way nationally, prompting St-Maurice to boldly claim the "Marijuana Party is experiencing positive growth." Another candidate with Commons aspirations is Mike Foster, who will fly the flag in Ottawa Centre. "There are more than three million Canadians who smoke," said Foster, who runs a shop that dubs itself as a "countercultural variety store." "That's a fairly substantial minority. I think it's time we all came out of the weed closet and addressed this issue once and for all." Foster, who will turn 50 in a few weeks and has smoked a joint or two most days since the age of 16, finds it ironic that one of his direct opponents on election day will be former NDP Leader Ed Broadbent. "I used to vote for Ed Broadbent years ago," Foster said with a laugh. "I don't think I would now. I think that ship has sailed. Ed Broadbent is fine but I think he represents the old school of the NDP." Complete Title: Marijuana Party Ready To Roll, Hopes To Have 100 Candidates Across CanadaSource: Canadian PressAuthor: Donald McKenziePublished: June 1, 2004Copyright: 2004 The Canadian PressCannabisNews Canada Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/Canada.shtml
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Comment #1 posted by global_warming on June 01, 2004 at 13:46:50 PT
Serious People
"This is a serious issue and it's a serious party that is addressing a serious issue in a serious nature. Politics, this is not playtime. We want to change the law, and government is where laws are enacted."I hope that the southern neighbours also start to take this matter seriously. Here in the US, the antis have been working overtime to find ways to stop any initiative, to bar more and more people from having the right to vote, and generally hiding behind the skirts of "the public safety", oh, and lets not forget the little children.The obvious drive to protect the "status quo" has the establishment sweating, too many jobs will suffer, of course they cannot be re-trained, much like the rest of middle america has had to deal with over the last 20 years.It would be better to focus on the real enemies of america, the ones who despise our freedom, the ones who insist upon accepting their place in a slavish hell of religious intolerance, the ones who continue to hurt mankind.I hope people start to get serious, as our freedom is sliding down the hole, the executioners are sharpeing their knives, they salivate as they wait for new blood.
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