High Times Are A Comin'

Radical Interview with Brian Taylor

Grand Forks, B.C. - On January 23, 2001 the Radical spoke with Brian Taylor about some of the policies and visions of BC's newest political party.

RAD: (Radical) Well Brian, on behalf of The Radical and all the thousands upon thousands of tokers in this beautiful province, allow me to congratulate you on your position as Leader of the newly formed British Columbia Marijuana Party. How are you feeling about it?

BT: (Brian Taylor) I had misgivings when I was first approached, in part due to the reputation of Marc Emery who as you know is the President and the force behind the party. Marc and I met in a face to face in Kelowna in early December 2000. We talked for the better part of a day and came to a number of understandings. I came to know Marc much better. Marc is hyperactive, assertive and opinionated but smart, genuine and believes deeply in the cause. After I took him to meet my father and my father liked him I decided to go for it.

RAD: The key words in your platform appear to be "Choices," "Options," and "Tolerance." All these concepts are alien to the big mainstream parties where one sees almost the exact opposite happening in terms of more stricter rules and regulations, more taxes and fees, less accountability and openness and even less opportunity to be creative and innovative in terms of improving our environmental, social, cultural and economic conditions. Hoe do you see the B.C. Marijuana Party turning this massive socio-political ship around and charting a new course in search of greener pastures?

BT: As the leader of the new free world (as my daughter Teresa refers to me), my approach is to demonstrate the tolerance and the inclusiveness in our party.

To be change agents in BC politics we need to get our message out to the people and we need to show the credibility in our candidates and in the way the party deals with the wide spectrum of views that are reflected by individual members. We are not going into power as a party and we can only hope that one or more of our capable candidates comes up the centre in the vote and wins in a riding. Our best hope though for influencing change is to educate and to show leadership by example. Sometimes, you change the direction of the ship by adjusting the rudder other times by hanging something over the side. We are going to be spoilers in many close ridings, so my guess is that as we build the party, we will get more and more attention from both the Liberals and the NDP.

RAD: When your party eventually scales the walls of that rockpile in Victoria and you're the new Premier of the province would you be willing at this point to promise that such an event would definitely signal the end of the Draconian Age of Marijuana Prohibition in this province?

BT: BC can control the application of the Federal law to some extent. This would be but a temporary solution though. The real change will happen when BC stands up to the Feds and demands changes in CDSA that reflect control over marijuana and other drugs by the provinces. Who says that Federal control is unchangeable, we have many examples of the return of control to the provinces and this can be another.

RAD: In the event that the RCMP refused to obey the new provincial rules regarding the decriminalization of marijuana would your party be willing to cancel their contract and create your own provincial or regional security systems?

BT: Many of our members are angry at the police because they have been targeted and prosecuted and treated as criminals. Without negating the experiences of these members of the party, I must say that we have bad cops and we have bad teachers and I have never been treated that way.

My sympathies go out to the RCMP who are asked to enforce laws that change from community to community throughout the province. In Vancouver you can get your marijuana at the compassion club on Commercial drive and in Grand Forks for the same actions, you can get charged with trafficking and possession. I think in some cases the RCMP are pushing to bring the matter to a head and so we need to separate bad policing from the impact of our schizophrenic marijuana laws.

RAD: Bill C-68 the federal government's gun law/registration/confiscation scheme is intended to be a major coup d'etat on the general population. Everywhere we look these days we see the rising iron heel of the right wing, fascist forces aligning  themselves in a final bid to take control of the world and fulfill their own self-induced delusion of a New World Order. If requested by the citizens of this province would your party provide a gun for every household along the model of the Swiss Army and maybe even basic training in organizing a standing army of the people? Is there a chance that you might also provide an equivalent of the famous Swiss Army knife to every citizen over say the age of 16 - one that has the option of a detachable roach clip?

BT: No! Our objection to the gun control issue is that it is just another example of the failure of the prohibition approach. we support less government control and more personal responsibility. Our members have strong feeling about guns in the city and the safe storage of arms, we see the whole registration process as a massive waste of money; money that could be better spent helping people who suffer from addictions. We have not supported the bearing of arms and believe the alcohol abuse problem to be more immediately destructive and dangerous than guns.

RAD: The land title question for First Nations peoples of this province and elsewhere around the world is of vital concern to everyone. Would your party recognize the Delgamuukw Decision and begin initiating in good faith with the First Peoples of this land in order to resolve this historically unjust situation?

BT: Yes. First Nations should be given back their land or at least areas large enough, viable enough to return the native nations to the position of having an economic base. We have some growing support from the native community, who see the systematic discrimination that is taking place against the marijuana culture as having some of the same elements as the discrimination natives have faced for the past 150 years in BC.

RAD: I noticed in your full page ad in the Vancouver Province of January 21, 2001 a check-list of policies. One that literally glows in the dark and caught my radical eye is the proposal to end street prostitution by reintroducing the practice of licensed brothels or red light districts. I for one have always felt that given the current dysfunctional nature of our present day society where the media force feeds us with increasingly greater dosages of sexual advertising yet without any legal, natural means of satisfying the resultant passions, that such an age-old solution to this historic problem makes good common sense. Rather than witnessing the abductions and rapes and murders that are a result of the restrictions imposed by perverted sexual energies this idea of legalized brothels seems to be a safe and sane way of dealing with people's libidos. Would there be brothels for men and women and all other sexual orientations as well? Would they be taxed?

BT: Red light districts are becoming the approach of choice by many countries. As far as the nature of the clientele it would be inconsistent for the party to support any other approach than an all inclusive accommodation of any fetish or sexual choice you may have. We would draw the line at acts that victimize or involve children. We support personal freedom within the context of the charter of rights and freedoms. Some cost would be incurred by the society to regulate and ensure the safety of both the clients and the sex trade workers, and yes I feel they should be subject to the same taxation we all endure.

RAD: In terms of the forest industry in this province we've been in the midst of a war zone for decades now. Statistics indicate that a majority of citizens wish to end the destructive logging practices of the past and move toward diversification of the economy by placing greater emphasis and resources on new industries that are more environmentally friendly. What sorts of new ventures does the Marijuana Party  have in mind for beautiful BC?

BT: This is a major topic, but this is my summary logic. Our forest industry is overproducing and the industry agrees and it is now closing mills trying to hold itself back and contain the massive appetite of the existing infrastructure. Government has experimented with wood lots and at the same time as they encouraged communities to apply for wood lots  they made the process a bureaucratic nightmare, limited the participation and created disincentives. One of the policies under consideration is to give the forests back to the people, let young people homestead or steward forest land, creating sustainable forest agriculture. Loggers and mill workers need other opportunities to make new jobs in the forest they love, not making damn chairs and value added book shelves. My existentialist side says give the forests back to the people and they will take care of it.

RAD: As the former Mayor of the City of Grand Forks (1997 - 1999) and an unabashed advocate of smoking the sacred herb, one could rightfully say that you are are someone cut from a different cloth. Could that fabric be hemp fibre? How do you see hemp production fitting into the BCMP's plans for the diversification of new and environmentally friendly industries?

BT: Hemp will return when the marijuana laws are changed. Right now no financier would chance investing in an industry burdened by the rules and regulations now applied to hemp. The recent zero tolerance by US Feds has crippled the Canadian hemp industry. Hemp has had an interesting evolution in North America moving now from a counter culture and youth protest to standing on its own against other products. We are seeing less hemp stores and more hemp goods showing up in mainstream shops, i.e. The Body Shop. I once had an argument with the hemp guru Jack Herer. Jack was sure that hemp would lead the way in the revolution. He was wrong, Until we deal with pot law, we won't be wearing any hemp clothing made in BC.

RAD: One very noticeable behaviour of politicians and people in the corporate world is their lack of humour. The world is such a serious place and everything one does is taken so seriously. What we need in politics and in life in general is a touch of levity now and then. I can see that the Marijuana Party might be just the party to change this petrified position of most political parties. Maybe all it might take is a relaxed attitude towards our everyday challenges and a small garden plot in the back yard with a few medicinal herbs blooming. are there any plans afoot to assist the province to relax and as the saying goes, "live and let live?"

BT: I agree we have far too many constipated politicians. We are planning to have fun in the election campaign but at the same time the opposition will be trying to paint us as the new Rhino Party and the Cheech and Chong show. The Fed government has a number of court ordered deadlines to meet. What they are intending to do is to introduce changes to the CDSA just in time to meet the deadline imposed by the Supreme Court of Ontario in the Parker case. These changes will strengthen the section of the CDSA that refers to the medicinal use and who is eligible but what won't be dealt with is the non-medicinal  or recreational use. The province could tell the Feds that it will not pay for marijuana law enforcement, but that still gives the RCMP the option then of enforcing the law. If they chose not to then you could grow your own garden. The subject could be a bigger problem than we expect.

The BC Marijuana Party needs your help. We are seeking additional candidates, volunteers, and financial contributions. We intend on fielding candidates in all 79 electoral districts. Contact the BC Marijuana Party, 43-468 Seymour St., Vancouver, BC V6B 3H1  Tel: 1.604.684.7076 Email: info@bcmarijuanaparty.ca   Website: www.bcmarijuanaparty.ca

High Times Are A Comin' Radical Interview with Brian Taylor is reprinted from The Radical Press, Volume 3, Number 6, February 2001, published by Arthur Topham, P.O. Box 4004, Quesnel, BC, V2J 3J2   Tel: 1.250.992.3479   Fax: 1.250.992.3337  Email: theradical@radicalpress.com  $35.00 for 12 issues Readers are invited to subscribe to The Radical - which "Digs at the Root of the Issues." Advertising and/or donations always welcomed.