Pubdate: Mon, 12 Nov 2012 Source: Province, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2012 Postmedia Network Inc. Contact: http://www2.canada.com/theprovince/letters.html Website: http://www.theprovince.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476 'B.C. BUD' MAY GO UP IN SMOKE Impact on $6-Billion-To-$8-Billion Pot Industry Is Difficult to Quantify (CP) - The future appears hazy for British Columbia's thriving underground pot industry, even as two U.S. states have voted to allow citizens to legally use the drug recreationally. Business consequences could range from mild to sending marijuana producers' livelihoods up in smoke, depending on how much of the estimated $6-billion-to-$8-billion annual economy is currently being exported south of the border, analysts say. Opinion on the impact varies considerably, but those advocating for Canada to adopt a more evidence based policy on marijuana say this week's votes mean Canada is falling behind the U.S. in developing evidence-based policy. Voters in Washington State and Colorado passed ballot initiatives held alongside the U.S. presidential election on Tuesday that remove criminal penalties for the possession and sale of recreational marijuana. Should the U.S. federal government not challenge the initiatives, which directly opposes federal rules, the states will begin regulated sales of the drug. An initiative in Oregon did not pass. "Obviously we're not sending the army to the B.C.-Washington State border because of the vote," said Dr. Evan Wood, founder of an ongoing campaign for marijuana legalization that includes health, legal and justice professionals. Canadian opponents of legalization have often noted that decriminalizing pot would prompt a negative reaction south of the border that could make it harder for goods and people to cross back and forth, Wood noted. "This vote is obviously going to take that tool away that I think has quite successfully quashed debate on this topic in Canada." The coalition, called Stop the Violence BC, contends prohibition of marijuana is a failed strategy that fuels gang wars and facilitates the influx of guns and cocaine when it's traded into the U.S. via organized crime. The value of the export pot market cannot be easily quantified because it's based on smuggling. But experts who believe it's hefty argue the market for well-known "B.C. bud" will shrink simply because it won't be in such high demand anymore in places like Washington State, where users will be able to make legal purchases. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom