Pubdate: Mon, 18 Mar 2002
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright: 2002 Winnipeg Free Press
Contact:  http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502
Author: Colin Perkel, Canadian Press
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

TORY LEADER HOPEFULS ADMIT TO SMOKING POT

'I Never Exhaled,' Jokes Labour Minister

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 Ernie 
Eves, 55, breaking into uproarious laughter when questioned about his 
marijuana use.

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

But rival candidate Jim Flaherty, the finance minister who made a 
name for himself as attorney general 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.

Still, two of the Tory candidates -- Health Minister Tony Clement, 
41, and Elizabeth Witmer, 55, minister of the environment -- deny 
ever smoking up.

But Labour Minister Chris Stockwell, 45, who is known for enjoying a 
good party, 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.

And besides, he said -- no one would believe him if he denied it.
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