VANCOUVER – A marijuana legalization advocate said today he doesn’t believe his past will interfere with his bid for the leadership of the New Democratic Party.
"I believe I offer a fresh vision and a real alternative choice in this leadership race," Dana Larsen told reporters Wednesday.
He said he wants to see more democracy within the NDP and the province, sustainability as a central part of the party platform, a $10 minimum wage and getting smart on crime by ending the failed war on cannabis.
"It is time to say enough is enough," Larsen said.
He believes drugs such as cocaine and heroin should be controlled and supplied to users by prescription to reduce the amount spent on law enforcement, the courts and corrections.
The co-founder of the B.C. Marijuana Party admitted he has no endorsements from any MLAs but maintains he is a serious candidate for NDP leader and plans to travel the province to sign up new members.
He expects his core supporters are medical marijuana users and those who want to end the prohibition against marijuana.
Larsen, 39, announced his leadership bid Wednesday at a news conference at The Dispensary, which sells medical marijuana to people with a doctor’s note or prescription.
Larsen is a paid director of three medical cannabis dispensaries in the Vancouver area.
He resigned as a federal NDP candidate in 2008 after media reports about his role in the Vancouver Seed Bank, which sold seeds for coca plants.
Larsen said Wednesday he quit then because he didn’t want to distract from the message of the federal NDP leader Jack Layton.
He also dismissed questions about videos he made for Pot TV that showed him high on drugs, which still are posted on the Internet.
"The videos were produced over 10 years ago," Larsen said Wednesday. "They were supposed to be entertaining and fun and outrageous."
One reporter suggested he was a one-issue candidate, but Larsen countered: "I do think I offer some good ideas and another alternative."
nhall@vancouversun.com
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