Pubdate: Thu, 15 Nov 2012 Source: Prince George Citizen (CN BC) Copyright: 2012 Prince George Citizen Contact: http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/350 Author: Mark Nielsen MLA RUSTAD MAKES LEGALIZATION CASE Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad is breaking from the B.C. Liberal Party line and wading into the debate over whether marijuana should be legalized, saying the issue is at least worth discussing particularly given the recent outcome in Washington State. Voters there have passed a proposition to legalize marijuana although the outcome remains subject to a court challenge from the U.S. federal government and about a year's work to determine how to best implement the initiative. But if all goes ahead as planned, Rustad said the process of crossing the border could take longer, "and that, of course, slows down our trade which hurts our economy." That comes on top of the prevailing argument that, like the prohibition on alcohol nearly a century ago, the laws against marijuana are only creating a cash cow for organized crime. Rustad pointed to a 2004 report from right-wing think tank Fraser Institute that estimated the wholesale value of marijuana grown in B.C. adds up to $2 billion a year. "And we spend hundreds of millions of dollars trying to stop that and that's in terms of our courts, our policing, the lawyers work, the jails, all around marijuana," Rustad said. "If it's legalized then suddenly that revenue stream for organized crime goes away, we can refocus those resources on policing to other tasks...and from my perspective that wouldn't be a bad thing to see happen." Like alcohol and tobacco, taxing marijuana could add significantly to government coffers, Rustad said, perhaps as much as that $2 billion. "Instead of that going to organized crime, it could go to taxation," he said. Legalizing marijuana could also provide an additional economic benefit, Rustad said, because it can be used for more than just smoking pot. "The byproduct for marijuana, of course, is hemp and hemp is usable for paper products, it's usable potentially for biofuels, there is a whole bunch of things that could come from that and so that creates another economic driver or opportunity in the province," Rustad said. Rustad conceded those pluses are offset by the concerns surrounding marijuana use, particularly that it may be a gateway drug for young people although he said studies from countries where marijuana has been legalized indicate that is not the case. Conversely, Rustad said there have been stories of illegally-produced marijuana being cut with harder drugs like crystal methamphetamine. "There are lots of people in my riding that are very uncomfortable with the idea of legalization," Rustad said. "They're concerned that it would be for youth, that it would lead to heavier drug use and those are legitimate concerns. "There needs to be studies, there needs to be work done, that information needs to come forward and if that proves that would be a detrimental problem then yeah, either you figure out how to deal with it or you don't go down that road." Both Premier Christy Clark and Justice Minister Shirley Bond, the MLA for Prince George-Valemount, have limited their comments to saying legalization is a federal issue. Prince George-Mackenzie MLA Pat Bell had much the same response when reached for a comment. "I try not to interfere in federal government decisions, I try not to interfere in municipal government decisions and I hope that they let us to do our work," Bell said. "But the other thing is, I think we've got way bigger fish to fry right now and I am squarely focused on making sure British Columbia does as well as we possibly can in what is a very difficult economic time... I'm going to take all of my time and energy and keep it focused on what we can do to build the economy." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom