Pubdate: Fri, 25 Nov 2011 Source: Toronto Star (CN ON) Copyright: 2011 The Toronto Star Contact: http://www.thestar.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/456 Author: Alyshah Hasham Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) POT DEALER'S HUNGER STRIKE ENDS IN DEATH In the six weeks leading up to his death Istvan Marton ate nothing and thought a lot. The 69-year-old was on a hunger strike, appealing to the Canadian government to legalize marijuana, said his sister Juliana Bazso. Bazso disapproved of her younger brother's lifestyle - she says he was the local supplier of weed to the small Malcolm Island community of Sointula off the coast of B.C. - but went to visit Marton as he became progressively more sick. "He was only half a size of what he was," she said. His doctor, Jane Clelland, told the Times-Colonist that Marton's weight dropped from 79 kilograms to 55 kilograms on his diet of juice, water and clear soup. Marton died of a heart attack on Nov. 20. According to Clelland, his death was caused by a combination of the hunger strike and severe health problems. Bazso said her unyielding, idealistic younger brother truly believed in his cause and thought of himself as a hero - though she did not believe his plan to change the law would work. In an interview with the Times Colonist published the day before his death, Marton defended his drug dealing - mostly selling weed from local growers to the older island population for medicinal and some recreational use. "I never hid it. I was the illegal supplier of marijuana for the island and I was really proud of it," he said. Any money he made was donated to underprivileged families, he added. In January 2010, he was charged and convicted after the RCMP found 2.2 kilograms of marijuana in his home. He had also been charged of possession of controlled substances in a separate incident in October. In the Times Colonist interview, he had said that his hunger strike would have gone on even if the charge was dropped. The Hungarian immigrant's love affair with pot began in the '70s, said Bazso, adding that her brother - who had spent a few months in jail - had a challenging life. While going through his belongings after his death, she found an envelope labeleld "my f---ing life" that contained photos and some papers. In it were musings from his final days, including a note that said his doctor should get a dozen red roses every Friday. He also apparently promised his friends $10,000 for a last hurrah after his death, she said. But the eulogy of pot and beer will not happen - Marton only left medical and cable bills to pay and no will, said Bazso. "He was a trusting soul and he thought everything was going to be taken care of," she said. Just three weeks before Marton's death a group of high-profile health, academic and justice experts launched a campaign to legalize and regulate marijuana, a move they say will cut down gang violence and provide new tax revenue. A report released by the group, named Stop the Violence B.C., estimates there are about 430,000 cannabis users in B.C. In response, the federal ministry of justice issued a brief statement saying the government has "no intention" of decriminalize or legalize marijuana. With files from The Canadian Press. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom