Driving a car plastered with marijuana leaf logos and stickers is bound to
catch the eye of police - particularly if you're on the way to the annual
Hempfest celebration.

That's what happened to a Montreal man nearly seven years ago, a Sault
Ste. Marie judge heard Thursday.

Marc Boris St-Maurice was leader of the Marijuana Party at the time of the
July 21, 2000 stop. Since then he has joined the Liberal Party and plans
to seek the nomination in a Montreal riding, he says.

St-Maurice attracted officers' attention at a RIDE check in Aberdeen
Township, north of Bruce Mines, where the celebration of all things hemp
takes place.

He was charged with possession of pot after a search located three grams
of the drug in the vehicle.

On Thursday, the 38-year-old man, who was not present in court, pleaded
guilty through a Sault lawyer to the charge, along with a count of failing
to attend court.

He was fined $150 for the drug offence and a further $300 for missing his
Sept. 11, 2000 court date.

"If you want to get pulled over, turn your car into a billboard for
marijuana,'' Ontario Court Justice Andrew Buttazzoni said.

The court heard that the car's driver was unco-operative with police and
said he didn't have to answer questions.

Inside the car, stuck to the dashboard, the officer noticed a photo of
newly elected Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day with a joint coming
from his mouth.

As well, posters, pamphlets and stickers were scattered throughout the
vehicle, federal prosecutor Marty Pawelek said.

Defence lawyer Don Orazietti described his client as a "political activist
who is seeking a nomination for a political position and wants to clear
this up.''

Pawelek said the Crown sought a $1,500 fine since St-Maurice has three
previous drug-related convictions.

"Taking into account the amount of narcotics, $150 does it,'' Buttazzoni
said.

When contacted by phone Thursday, St-Maurice told The Sault Star he
intends to seek the Liberal nomination in a Montreal riding.

After four years at the helm, he resigned his position as Marijuana Party
leader and joined the Liberals in 2005.

Four months after he was charged while on his way to speak at Hempfest,
St-Maurice told The Sault Star that he wanted to argue in court that the
car should not have been searched based on marijuana party logos
prominently displayed on its sides.

"We could have fought the charges,'' St-Maurice said Thursday in an
interview. "I think we had ample grounds to test the charges as an illegal
search.''

But because of the distance, time and cost to fight the case in the Sault,
St-Maurice said, he decided to resolve the matter and plead guilty.

"I'd almost forgotten about it,'' he said, adding the matter would come up
whenever he was stopped by police.

"It was a questionable search,'' Orazietti said, "but he wanted to get it
over with.''