Pubdate: Sat, 10 Jun 2006
Source: Regina Leader-Post (CN SN)
Copyright: 2006 The Leader-Post Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/regina/leaderpost/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/361
Author: James Wood, Saskatchewan News Network; CanWest News Service
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

NOT MUCH BUZZ ABOUT NEW PARTY

The leaders of the province's two biggest political parties are 
feeling pretty mellow about the new Saskatchewan Marijuana Party.

The Marijuana Party was registered as an official provincial party 
this week by Elections Saskatchewan, enabling them to field 
candidates under the party name, raise and spend money and issue tax 
receipts for donations.

But NDP Premier Lorne Calvert and Saskatchewan Party Opposition 
Leader Brad Wall weren't concerned Friday that the party would cause 
much of a buzz among Saskatchewan voters.

"I think we all recognize that some of the issues that this party has 
at the fore of their agenda tend to be more federal issues, tend to 
be Criminal Code issues. But it's a democratic process, folks want to 
get together and form a party, it happens," Calvert told reporters at 
the legislature Friday.

Saskatchewan Marijuana Party president Ethan Erkiletian told the 
StarPhoenix Wednesday that there would be no public statement from 
the party until June 20.

Like other marijuana parties in Canada, it is expected to advocate 
the legalization of possession and cultivation of cannabis.

Wall said he hadn't given much thought to the new party.

"I don't think there's a great opportunity for vote-splitting among 
many of the parties but I guess we'll see that unfold," he told reporters.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom