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Question Period with Dana Larsen Matthew Johnston Western Standard Friday 06 Jun 2008 Western Standard: Why did you join the federal NDP after being Deputy Leader of the BC Marijuana Party? Dana Larsen: I was actually the Leader of the BCMP for a while, after the 2000 election. I was also a candidate for the federal Marijuana Party. While I enjoyed being involved in a single-issue party, I think the Marijuana parties have served their purpose in demonstrating the broad base of support for marijuana law reform. Really, the marijuana movement is strong enough that there should be drug policy reform activists within every major party, just as every party now has openly gay candidates, which would have been unthinkable just two decades ago. When Jack Layton became NDP leader, he made it clear that drug law reform would become a higher priority for his party, and he has been consistent with this approach. And although ending Canada's failed drug war is a high priority issue for me, it is certainly not the only important issue, or the only thing that I care about. I support the direction that Layton's NDP would take our country, from issues like ending the Afghan War to the labelling of GM foods, from civilian oversight of the RCMP to ensuring clean air and water, and resisting "deep integration" with the USA. I am the co-founder and manager at the Vancouver Seed Bank, which sells seeds for marijuana and other interesting psychoactive plants. It is a testament to the diversity and tolerance of the NDP that they would accept me as a federal candidate. I am proud to be part of the evolving New Democrat tradition, and I feel very much at home within the NDP. WS: You were the editor of Cannabis Culture magazine. Why not fight to liberalize marijuana laws through the media? Why politics? DL: The marijuana movement involves many dimensions of social and political change, but ultimately ending the war on drugs will require legislative change. I also enjoy politics and I am passionate about our country and making Canada the best nation we can be. I think I would be a good Member of Parliament and hopefully the voters in my riding will agree. WS: How do you measure your success as an activist within the party? And how is the campaign to push for marijuana-friendly policies within the NDP going? DL: Very well. Over the past two years we have seen our various resolutions on marijuana and drug policy reform passed at NDP conventions in four provinces, as well as federally. Hundreds of NDP members have joined up with our organization called End Prohibition, and many elected New Democrats have shown us enthusiastic support. I've also been able to meet with provincial NDP leaders across Canada, and I am now running as a federal candidate in my riding. WS: Is the federal NDP caucus fully behind marijuana legalization? Who stands out as strongly anti-prohibition and who stands out as being hostile to marijuana liberalization? DL: I have never met anyone in the NDP who supports the current drug war and opposes marijuana law reform. The only real question is in terms of whether the issue should be a priority for the party, and what kind of specific reforms would be best. NDP Deputy Leader Libby Davies has the most experience in dealing with drug policy issues, and is the most articulate voice within the party for harm reduction and regulated access. In 2007 alone, Davies was at the founding session of the Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy, did a national tour in support of Insite, spoke at a Harm Reduction Forum in Ottawa, wrote a major article against the drug war, and received an award at the International Drug Policy Reform Conference in New Orleans. WS: Does Jack Layton oppose the extradition of Marc Emery? And do you have plans to put Emery's extradition on the NDP agenda? DL: Layton and other elected New Democrats have repeatedly made it clear that the NDP opposes the extradition of Marc Emery. If Emery is to face charges, he should be charged under Canadian law for the exporting of marijuana seeds. Emery's so-called crimes were all committed in Canada, and outsourcing our justice system to the USA is inappropriate for any sovereign nation. WS: How would you assess Harper's government on marijuana policy? DL: When it comes to drug policy, the Harper Conservatives are completely at odds with the principles of liberty, good health and common sense. The Conservatives are seeking to expand our failed and counter-productive drug war, increasing its terrible burden on our budget, our liberty and our social fabric. It is interesting that marijuana and drug policy reform is not really a left- or right-wing issue, instead it is something that has support from rational people across the political spectrum. It is one of the few issues where there is unity of opinion between groups as diverse as the Fraser Institute and the NDP. I hope that whatever libertarians are left within the modern Conservative party will push their party from within to abandon the drug war and apply the libertarian principles of small government and personal responsibility to the issue of drug prohibition. WS: Are you a libertarian? DL: I support maximizing personal liberty within the context of a sharing society. I support civil liberties and free speech, and I prefer to see our tax dollars going towards policies that will help people instead of failed prohibitions that will imprison people. In Canada's current political landscape, the New Democrats are the most libertarian federal party. With our consistent stand against the drug war, against the Afghan War and against measures like no-fly lists and secret trials, we are a strong political voice for less intrusive government and greater civil liberties. In 2007, Harper's Conservatives introduced the biggest budget ever in Canadian history, and their stated policies are to limit civil liberties and build more prisons. How any self-described libertarian could vote for today's Conservatives is beyond me. WS: You say you support free speech. What do you think, in particular, of the human rights complaints against our former publisher Ezra Levant and Maclean’s magazine? And do you think Liberal MP Keith Martin is on the right track with his private members motion to delete subsection 13(1) of the Canadian Human Rights Act? DL: I support freedom of speech even for unpopular ideas, and I don't think that either Ezra Levant or Maclean’s magazine should be facing their current situation with the HRCs. If I were an MP, I would support Keith Martin's motion. WS: You're the NDP candidate for the riding of West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea-to-sky Country. Any predictions? DL: I predict that it will be an exciting and hard-fought campaign, and that the NDP will get our highest vote total ever, both in my riding and across Canada. WS: Good luck. DL: Thanks. http://westernstandard.ca/
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