Pubdate: Tue, 24 Apr 2001
Source: Powell River Peak (CN BC)
Copyright: 2001 Peak Publishing Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.zwire.com/site/news
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/734

LARSEN'S REFERENCE TO CANNABIS ENFLAMES MOOSE

One candidate ran into problems with a community group after he advertised 
an open house.

BC Marijuana Party candidate Dana Larsen rented Scout Hall last Saturday. 
In last Wednesday's Peak, an advertisement ran about the event, part of 
which said "Coffee, tea, cookies, and cannabis will be available."

That line caused the problem, according to Larsen. "I started getting panic 
phone calls from the Moose Lodge and they were wanting to know what I meant 
when I said cannabis would be available," he said. "I reassured them I 
wasn't planning on having any kind of a smoke-in in their hall by any means 
and that when I said cannabis I just sort of was trying to be provocative 
in referring to our pro-cannabis stance, referring to hemp-seed cookies and 
some hemp fabrics."

Larsen was told members of the Moose Lodge had an emergency meeting and 
some members threatened to resign because they didn't like Larsen's stand 
on licensed brothels and other platform items. Larsen explained that the 
Moose Lodge wasn't endorsing him, but was just allowing him to use the 
hall. Arnold Carson, the Governor of Moose Lodge, told The Peak he wasn't 
at the meeting and couldn't comment on what had taken place.

In any event, the open house was successful, said Larsen, with 70 people 
attending and with volunteers handing out about 300 pieces of literature to 
passing vehicles and pedestrians.

Meanwhile, the other candidates spent much of their time meeting people and 
door-knocking. BC Liberal Party Candidate Harold Long has been on the lower 
Sunshine Coast, said Al Drummond, Long's campaign manager for the Powell 
River area.

Long attended the home show in Sechelt on the weekend and also a 
fundraising event at his Wilson Creek office. He has been door-knocking on 
the peninsula as well.

BC Green Party candidate Adriane Carr has spent time in Powell River 
door-knocking, fundraising, meeting with constituents, and doing media 
work. Carr believes there are many undecided voters in the riding.

"Basically the shift is people are absolutely not going to vote NDP; they 
have a lot of concern about shifting to vote Liberal. They are having a 
good look at the Green Party."

New Democratic Party candidate Gordon Wilson has spent the majority of his 
time in Powell River, he said, and will head down to the lower Sunshine 
Coast later this week. "My personal reception is still very good," he said. 
"At the moment I'm feeling quite good about things." He discounted recent 
public opinion polls which indicate the Liberal Party has a massive lead. 
"People generally don't like to be told how they are going to vote." The 
dynamics in the election will change, he predicted.
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MAP posted-by: Beth