Pubdate: Fri, 06 May 2005
Source: Peace Arch News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005 Peace Arch News
Contact:  http://www.peacearchnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1333
Author: Sheila Reynolds
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

B.C. MARIJUANA PARTY SHUT OUT OF SCHOOLS

B.C. Marijuana Party candidates won't be allowed to participate in 
all-candidates meetings at Surrey schools.

Amanda Boggan, who's representing the Marijuana party in Surrey-Green 
Timbers, was invited to attend a political debate for students at Queen 
Elizabeth Secondary Wednesday.

However, she was contacted by a student organizer the night before and 
asked not to show up.

"I was a bit stunned. I've never been disinvited to anything in my life," 
Boggan said.

"I got off the phone and felt like a bad person for a while, and then 
realized it was actually detrimental to the students' education about the 
electoral process for certain parties to be excluded."

Armed with an election sign, she and Surrey-Whalley Marijuana candidate 
Neil Magnuson appeared at the high school at different times prior to the 
debate - attended by the NDP's Sue Hammell, Communist Harjit Daudaria, the 
Green's Roy Whyte, and Annexationist Gordon Brosseuk - only to be told to 
leave school property by the principal.

Surrey School District's Doug Strachan said the blanket decision not to 
include Marijuana candidates in school debates came after a candidate at a 
similar meeting at Fraser Heights Secondary last week distributed articles 
and stickers promoting pot.

He said the pro-pot candidates were initially permitted in schools to make 
the election process as realistic as possible for students and to show that 
fringe and one-issue parties exist.

"At the same time, we just could not allow that sort of information 
concerning a substance that is still illegal to be promoted to our 
students," Strachan said.

"We're trying to strike a balance. We can appreciate lobbying to have laws 
changed, and that's a legitimate point of view and certainly something our 
students can learn from. But we can't condone the promotion of them taking 
an illegal substance."

Many schools are holding all-candidates meetings and mock elections as part 
of an Elections B.C. process called Student Vote B.C. where teens learn 
about elections, campaigns, and cast practice ballots the day prior to the 
election.

Kirk Tousaw, Marijuana party campaign manager, called the exclusion of 
candidates an anti-democratic exercise "that teaches a very negative lesson 
to our youth, who are increasingly disenfranchised from our political system."

Boggan wasn't surprised at the district's stance in light of a letter 
written to the solicitor general of Canada by trustees in May 2004 
expressing concerns about potential consequences decriminalization of 
marijuana could have on students.

"I'm not a drug addict or a dealer - I'm a parent," Boggan said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom