Pubdate: Thu, 08 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 Cited: Sensible BC: http://www.sensiblebc.ca/ Cited: Stop the Violence BC: http://stoptheviolencebc.org/ B.C. ACTIVISTS EMBOLDENED BY LEGALIZATION VOTES IN THE U.S. Canadian drug law reform advocates were rejoicing after two U. S. states voted to legalize marijuana this week, even as the Harper government brought into effect tough new penalties for pot. The states of Washington and Colorado voted in favour of ballot-box propositions to remove criminal penalties for the possession and sale of recreational marijuana on Tuesday, the same day drug measures in Canada's Safe Streets and Communities Act came into effect. The new measures legislate a minimum six-month jail sentence for growing as few as six marijuana plants. Despite the tougher legislation at the federal level, B. C. activists were celebrating their public relations win. "I think it's two big steps forward for cannabis law reform. It really signals the beginning of the end for cannabis prohibition in the U. S. and around the world," said Dana Larsen of the lobby group, Sensible B. C. The organization has drafted and is promoting the Sensible Policing Act, which would divert police resources from search, seizure or arrests for simple possession, and is calling on the federal government to remove cannabis from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Larsen suggested the American pot propositions could embolden other jurisdictions considering similar changes. In Colorado, residents over 21 can grow up to six plants in private, and Washington voted to allow state licensed growers to sell up to an ounce at a time to individual adults. ( Oregon voters rejected a similar initiative.) Should the U. S. federal government not challenge the initiatives, which directly oppose federal rules, the states will begin regulated sales of the drug. Larsen said passage of the initiatives is "a big boost for the ( Sensible B. C.) campaign and it will show people you actually can win referendums on this. If our American neighbours can do it, surely we can do it in British Columbia." But Larsen is pessimistic that the federal government will be swayed. The day after the initiatives were passed, a spokeswoman for federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson reaffirmed that the Conservative government does not support the decriminalization or legalization of marijuana. "Our government will continue to work with our American neighbours to ensure that our border is open to trade and closed to criminal activity," Julie Di Mambro said in an email. Former B. C. attorney-general Geoff Plant said Wednesday that voters are ahead of politicians on the issue and public opinion will eventually persuade the federal government, which enacts and enforces Canada's drug laws. "The vote yesterday in Washington and Colorado added some fuel to the fire. I don't think we're going to get there tomorrow, but it makes it more likely change will happen sooner rather than later," said Plant, a member of Stop the Violence B. C., a group of doctors, lawyers and academics advocating for an end to marijuana prohibition to reduce organized crime. "The way to make that happen is to start putting pressure on federal members of Parliament who represent B. C. constituencies." A recent Angus- Reid opinion poll conducted for the group showed the majority of British Columbians do not think possession of a small amount of marijuana should lead to a criminal record, and believe the province is better off taxing and regulating the drug. Criminal charges for possession have risen 88 per cent over the last decade in B. C. Plant said that when he was attorney-general, a major concern among B. C. policy-makers was the American war on drugs. "We're getting closer to a time when American policy-makers are going to look to us and say ' Hey, shouldn't you be catching up?'" Plant said it will be a complex process to reconcile state laws in Washington and Colorado with federal laws under which marijuana remains illegal. A national conversation is required in Canada to smooth out the details of regulation and taxation, and the new state laws could provide a model, Plant said. "Even if they don't get it right, we'll learn from their mistakes," he said. The legal changes south of the border could cut into some of the $ 7- billion marijuana market, but the real shift seems to be mainstream public opinion, said Simon Fraser University criminologist Neil Boyd. "A lot of it's motivated by the desire for policies that don't simply line the pockets of drug dealers," he said. Only "taxation and regulation would eliminate organized crime in the marijuana trade, just as you don't have organized crime in the alcohol trade." But any reduction in the size of the export market - which also involves trade in guns and other "hard" drugs like cocaine - is a benefit to public health, said Dr. Evan Wood, professor of medicine at the University of B. C. and founder of the International Centre for Science in Drug Policy. "The reality is that ultimately addressing B. C.' s drug problem is going to require a domestic solution." As a member of Stop the Violence, Wood has also pointed out that according to his research, regulation could reduce use in young people, making pot less desirable and harder to acquire. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt