Pubdate: Sat, 03 Nov 2012
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2012 The Vancouver Sun
Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Zoe McKnight

POT POSSESSION CHARGES UP 88 PER CENT

Poll Suggests Three-Quarters of Population Would Rather Tax and 
Regulate Marijuana

A recent report on British Columbia crime trends shows the number of 
marijuana possession charges continues to climb, despite the fact 
many British Columbians want to see marijuana decriminalized.

The crime trends report, released in late October by the police 
services division of the B. C. Ministry of Justice, showed an 88- 
per- cent increase in possession charges over the last decade: to 
3,774 charges last year from 2,004 charges in 2002.

"In an environment where a majority of British Columbians, we now 
know from recent polling, support legalizing cannabis, in an era in 
which our teenagers report cannabis is easier to obtain than alcohol 
despite our prohibition based enforcement, what are we doing 
continuing to waste very scarce and shrinking prosecutorial and 
judicial resources going after marijuana offenders?" asked Kirk 
Tousaw, a lawyer who represents people charged with drug offences and 
executive director of the Beyond Prohibition Foundation. "The public 
doesn't want it. The taxpayers don't want it. The question always 
left in my mind is, who does want it?"

About three-quarters of the population believe the province would be 
better off taxing and regulating marijuana, said an Angus Reid 
opinion poll conducted for Stop the Violence BC, an advocacy 
coalition of doctors, lawyers, academics, politicians and police 
officers seeking the end of marijuana prohibition.

Only 13 per cent of respondents in Metro Vancouver and eight per cent 
on Vancouver Island said possession of a joint should lead to a 
criminal record.

The poll, released in October, surveyed 799 British Columbians and is 
accurate within 3.5 percentage points.

Tousaw and Dana Larsen, former editor of Cannabis Culture magazine 
and longtime drug policy reform activist, co-wrote the Sensible 
Policing Act, which would stop police in B. C. from "spending any 
time or resources on searching, seizing or arresting anyone for 
simple cannabis possession." Larsen said. He's pursuing its 
implementation through a referendum.

The RCMP said Friday it was unable to comment on the increase in charges.

It was not immediately known what geographic region experienced the 
most increase, or why some communities might have more police 
activity than others.

But Simon Fraser University criminology professor Neil Boyd, who 
recently signed on to support the Sensible BC campaign, said the 
increase is not coming from Vancouver. Charges recommended by 
Vancouver police, which places a low priority on pot possession, for 
possession alone and not in conjunction with other drug charges have 
dropped from 34 in 2006 to just six in 2010.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom