Pubdate: Mon, 06 Nov 2000 Source: Toronto Sun (CN ON) Copyright: 2000, Canoe Limited Partnership. Contact: 333 King St. E., Toronto, Ontario M5A 3X5 Canada Fax: (416) 947-3228 Website: http://www.canoe.ca/TorontoSun/ Forum: http://www.canoe.ca/Chat/newsgroups.html Author: Dene Moore, The Canadian Press Cited: Pot-TV http://www.pot-tv.net/ Bookmark: cannabis clippings http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm POT-TV BROADCASTING OVER THE INTERNET VANCOUVER (CP) -- It gives a whole new meaning to the term smokescreen. Broadcast from a basement in bud-friendly B.C., Pot-TV has been getting 25,000 hits a month since it began producing a daily marijuana news show and various other programs over the Internet last spring. "B.C., as you probably know, is the heartland of cannabis culture in North America," said Chris Bennett, one of five full-time employees and host of Pot-TV's Burning Shiva, an exploration of the cultural use of cannabis throughout history. Viewers can tune into The Big Toke, a cannabis comedy hour, The Grow Show with Marijuana Man, Cannabis Common Sense or Shake 'n Bake, a cooking show that puts a whole new spin on baked goods. "It's the best job I've ever had," said Bennett. Pot-TV also offers the Healing Herb Hour to discuss medical uses for marijuana and Yours in Defence, a legal discussion hosted by a Colorado-based lawyer. This is no Cheech and Chong venture. Marijuana advocate Marc Emery has spent $220,000 since the beginning of the year to get Pot-TV up and running, "and it produces no revenue," he said. Emery supports the station the same way he supported his Cannabis Culture magazine until it began to break even a few years ago -- by selling marijuana seeds. "I'm the world's most famous and well-known marijuana seed seller," said Emery, who makes more than $1 million a year that way. Emery's basement on the Sunshine Coast has been converted into a studio with 15 computers, cameras and microphones. Programs and news items come in from around the world. Emery would like to have mainstream advertisers to fund the station. "We should be getting like, you know, the Hostess munchies ads or Coca-Cola, because that is our market." But Pot-TV is too controversial for the mainstream, he said. Emery is no stranger to controversy. Crusading for cannabis is his life. The magazine Cannabis Culture is occasionally banned, most recently in Timmins, Ont. He is the candidate for the Marijuana Party in the upcoming federal election. Emery's Cannabis Cafe and Hemp B.C. store, which sold marijuana and allowed consumption on site, was raided and had all assets seized four times before the city revoked the business licence. Emery says he is doing nothing illegal with Pot-TV. Police aren't sure, either. "It's supposed to be against the law to possess or distribute information that helps people to use drugs, but when the law was made we certainly didn't know Web sites existed yet," said Sgt. Chuck Doucette of the RCMP drug awareness section in Vancouver. "The whole Internet thing has presented unique challenges for law enforcement." Doucette said authorities are trying to address that loophole with new laws. "In the meantime all we can do is sort of counter it with the information that we have that says that drugs are harmful and try to caution young people to make wise choices," Doucette said. - --- MAP posted-by: Thunder