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Summary

2 Ontario Ridings Can Vote Marijuana In The Upcoming Election

They are both longtime pot activists.
2 Ontario Ridings Can Vote Marijuana In The Upcoming Election
Contributor

The federal election campaign is almost over and some smaller parties are fighting hard to be heard in their ridings. Paul Coulbeck and Terry Parker are two candidates who are in the running for a seat in their ridings in Chatham-Leamington, and Parkdale-High Park, respectively. They both represent the Marijuana Party of Canada. Their views on the way marijuana has been handled since legalization are different than what you may expect. Both of them want to repeal the Cannabis Act because they are not satisfied with the way that the cannabis industry is operating. Paul Coulbeck, of the Chatham-Leamington riding, told the Chatham Daily News that “if you’re smoking pot and it’s not their genetics, it’s illegal pot,” he said. “They’ve closed down all kinds of shops and people who were there for years serving the medical community, and they’ve closed down these places after they did this legalization.”Terry Parker's views are the same. His page on the Marijuana Party of Canada's website also says that he is for repealing the Cannabis Act, which made pot legal exactly a year ago today, on October 17, 2018. He would also "nurture the cannabis community" and "promote cannabis as food, fiber and medicine," says his profile page.Check out their election campaign video:

Coulbeck has some interesting facts about cannabis that you probably didn't know. For example, did you know that scientists in the radioactive disaster of Chernobyl planted hemp plants in the area to help clean up the soil? Coulbeck wants to advocate for the healing properties of the cannabis plant and promote the environmental benefits of growing it. 

The Marijuana Party's other platforms are for "abolishing the personal income tax; restoring the Bank of Canada as the only source of national borrowing; instituting a national bank account and credit card for Canadians at birth; and condemning compound interest rates," according to Chatham Daily News.Terry Parker, of the Parkdale-High Park riding, has been fighting for cannabis reform since the 90s. He famously won a medical marijuana case 19 years ago after prescription drugs couldn't stop his epileptic seizures, but cannabis did.He was arrested for possession, trafficking, and cultivation in 1996. In 2000, The Ontario Court of Appeal ruled in his favour, stating that Canada's marijuana laws prohibiting possession were unconstitutional because they did not consider medical marijuana as a factor, CBC reported.After this ruling, hundreds of patients were granted exemptions to marijuana laws under the Medical Marijuana Access program. 

Check out their website if you're interested in learning more about these two longtime pot activists.

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