Pubdate: Thu, 22 Nov 2012
Source: Daily Courier, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2012 The Okanagan Valley Group of Newspapers
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/5NyOACet
Website: http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/531
Author: J.P. Squire

POT ADVOCATE PULLS PETITION

Dana Larsen's petition to de-criminalize simple marijuana possession
went up in smoke on Wednesday. But the pro-marijuana advocate is on a
roll as he blew through the Okanagan Valley this week.

The former leader of the Marijuana Party successfully tested the
waters when his token petition to amend the Police Act was accepted by
Elections B.C. on Monday. On Wednesday, however, it was withdrawn by
Larsen.

"The proponent had indicated to us that he was not interested in
canvassing for signatures at this time, and that his intention in
applying for the petition was to test his application and draft bill,"
said chief electoral officer Keith Archer.

Shortly before speaking at the Ellis Street library in Kelowna on
Wednesday, Larsen told The Daily Courier he intends to start
collecting signatures in September 2013 with the objective of amassing
400,000 during the following three months.

To be successful, the provincial Recall and Initiative Act says a
petition must be signed by 10 per cent of the registered voters in
each of the province's 85 electoral districts.

"I'm promoting the Sensible B.C. campaign to change the cannabis laws
in British Columbia. Decriminalizing possession is the first step
toward a sensible cannabis policy," said Larsen.

His provincial tour included a stopover in Penticton Monday, in
Kelowna Wednesday and Vernon today.

"For this to succeed, we need to get support and ultimately signatures
from people in every one of B.C.'s 85 electoral districts. So I need
to go to every nook and cranny of this province, and talk to people
everywhere. Certainly, Kelowna is a big part of that," he said.

"We're campaigning in advance and we're going to start that
three-month clock in September 2013. Between now and then, I'm
pre-registering people, getting them signed up, turning them into
volunteers and getting them to sign up their friends and neighbours so
we've got a big head start in September 2013."

He's hoping to have a list of people ready to meet the 10 per cent
figure so volunteers can go straight to their homes and avoid
street-corner canvassing.

The Sensible Policing Act, already drafted, would instruct all police
in B.C. to no longer spend any time or resources searching for,
seizing or arresting anyone for simple possession of cannabis, he said.

The bill goes further, calling on the federal government to determine
how to legalize, regulate and otherwise control the cannabis industry.

In spite of strong support by Liberal and NDP party members, both
Premier Christy Clark and NDP leader Adrian Dix insist it is "a
federal issue and they don't want to get involved, said Larsen.

He points to the precedent set several years ago when B.C. and seven
other provinces decriminalized the possession of unregistered long
guns by not enforcing federal law.
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