NDP Leader distances himself from B.C. Marijuana party

Mike De Souza, Canwest News Service Saturday, September 20, 2008

EDMONTON - New Democratic Party Leader Jack Layton distanced himself from the B.C. Marijuana party on Saturday in the wake of the emergence of embarrassing videos of drug use by two NDP candidates in B.C. who have resigned over the past few days. The resignation of the two candidates, Dana Larsen and Kirk Tousaw, has angered several advocates of decriminalizing marijuana who have accused Layton of abandoning them to gain middle-class votes."I'm furious," said Marge Groenendyk, an Edmonton resident who was among a crowd of more than 200 people at an NDP rally at which Layton promised to get tough on street gangs and violent crime. "You have two honest candidates that have been studying this matter for many, many years, and it's time for education."

Groenendyk, who described herself as a marijuana advocate who uses the drug for medicinal purposes, noted that Layton once made an appeal to marijuana users on the POT TV website in 2003, promising to fight for decriminalization in an interview. At the time, Layton encouraged people to "join the party" and support the NDP because he believed they should be allowed to smoke marijuana in the comfort of their own homes or in cafes without being considered criminals. "He has sat with these people more than once," said Groenendyk. "Inhaling, exhaling, it doesn't matter, he was still there." On Saturday, Layton denied the existence of such an arrangement. "There never was any kind of a deal," he told reporters. "There was no commitment, no relationship," Layton said. He also refused to discuss the two candidates' resignations, saying only: "They've resigned. They're no longer our candidates anymore. So we're moving on to the issues that Canadians want us to take action on."

Layton's interview with POT-TV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?vrpPfYe1a6Qg