Pubdate: Fri, 19 Apr 2013
Source: National Post (Canada)
Copyright: 2013 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Author: Sarah Boesveld
Page: 6


15 joints a day - except now he's smoking them as a 
grandfather won a $25-million jackpot last November and promptly 
this Saturday. He spoke with the Post's Sarah Boesveld Thursday about 

Q: Erb is a great name for a marijuana activist.

A: I've heard that before. I've got a couple of buddies and their 
last name is 'Joynt.' They hung around together, they'd be walking 
down the street and we'd say 'Oh, that's just what we were looking 
for, a couple of Joynts!'

Have you been to many of those events?

A: The 420 events I've watched on television for years and years; I 
have only attended a couple of them because I'm way up in the 
northwest of B.C. I always thought that they were underutilized 
vehicles for getting across all of the wrongs with marijuana prohibition.

Q: Do you mean that they've just been big pot parties?

about their advocacy for legalizing marijuana, but they were loosely 
organized, there were no speakers for the media to talk to, so they'd 
just interview people briefly then go into the crowds filming 
20-year-olds blowing smoke rings. It's a mixed message. Like most 
things you'd want to do and that. One of mine was I'd put a 
substantial amount towards marijuana legalization. And so when the 25 
mil come my way, I said I'll throw at least a mil towards the cause. 
design, the other $60,000 accommodation, probably $40,000 in 
merchandising hats and buttons.

Q: You paid for all that?

2014 420 events, and ultimately we'd like to have 150-200 cities.

Q: Why is legalization such a crucial issue?

A: Marijuana legalization would result in income taxes collected, 
increased spending on home mortgages, municipal infrastructure 
upgrades, more money for healthcare, education, pensions - all 
without raising taxes. The revenue from B.C.'s marijuana industry's 
huge drop in crime of all types. Of course that's not good news for 
police because pot crime is their bread and butter. Several medical 
studies show that people who use pot regularly are usually of higher 
education and IQ. Pot smokers may be dope-heads, but they're not 

Q: Have you always been a dope smoker?

five years later, I was probably smoking 15 joints a day - still do. 

Q: How has your life changed after becoming a millionaire?

A: I have to correct you. I'm a multi-millionaire. I'm not doing 
anything different, I bought a vehicle, my other ones were OK. I've 
Shelby Supersnakes - souped up Mustangs - being built in Las Vegas. I 
don't work for pay, but I do work for free. I've given $7-million to charities.


A: Hey, my conscience wouldn't allow it and there's next year for the beach.
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