January 2, 2007, Toronto - Freedom Party of Ontario today released a 9 minute video that jabs John Tory for his hypocritical attempt to appear tough on marijuana; an attempt that quickly backfired on Tory just a few weeks ago.  The fun starts after an initial 2.5 minute explanation of Freedom Party's position on the marijuana issue.

"With election 2007 fast approaching, it is important that the public has a permanent record and clear understanding of John Tory's modus operandus", says Freedom Party leader, Paul McKeever, who narrates the video.  "Lacking any stand on the big issues facing Ontario - health care, electricity, property taxes etc. - Tory is attempting to fill a policy void with hypocritical posturing, playing Mr. Law-and-Order. 

"On November 26th, 2006, Tory called a two-year marijuana grow-op penalty 'a slap on the wrist' and called for stiffer sentences.  However, by using such inflammatory phrases as 'drug dealing criminals' and 'drug busts are not victimless crimes', Tory clearly tried to imply that he is a tough-talking war-on-drugs politician who is anti-marijuana.  The average person listening to what Tory said would infer that Tory condemns marijuana in general, and Tory knew that such an inference would be made when he purposely chose those words.  That, clearly, is why he chose the evocative words he did", says McKeever.

Two days later, the media reported that Tory had admitted in his past to carrying around a half pound of marijuana, and to driving while his vision was grossly impaired by what Tory claims was marijuana.  Tory admitted being so impaired while driving that he once stopped a full 200 yards short of a stop sign.

"The issue isn't that John Tory has used drugs like so many other politicians," says McKeever.  "The issue is hypocrisy.  The relevant point demonstrated by this video is that, to win votes, John Tory is quite willing both to throw the first stone and to recommend that larger stones be used.  Worse, he's willing to do that even when his past behaviour suggests he quite possibly believes that marijuana prohibition should be ended.

"An easily-accessed record of this story of hypocrisy is necessary because, by any fair measure, Tory successfully managed to divert everyone's attention from the issue of his hypocrisy.  When the Liberals exposed his prior writings about his marijuana experiences, Tory played the victim and used the leak about his past as a way to appear less stuffy and cool, adding that he used to have long hair and listen to Jimmy Hendrix's music.  One day after the media exposed his use of marijuana, he issued a distraction: a press release calling for a grow-op registry.  He then appeared on several cooperative talk-radio stations across the province to divert the public’s attention toward his grow-op proposal and away from his comments about stiffer sentences."