Pubdate: Fri, 12 Jul 2013
Source: Metro (Vancouver, CN BC)
Copyright: 2013 Metro Canada
Contact:  http://www.metronews.ca/vancouver
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3775
Author: Elizabeth Hames
Cited: Sensible BC: http://www.sensiblebc.ca/

ACTIVIST HOPES CURRENT POT LAWS GO UP IN SMOKE

Challenge: Dana Larsen has gotten approval for a petition to 
decriminalize marijuana in B.C.

A B.C. marijuana activist has been given the green light to petition
for the decriminalization of the illegal drug.

Elections B.C. said Thursday it will issue Dana Larsen a petition for
an amendment to the B.C. Police Act, which would prohibit police
officers from making arrests for pot possession. The amendment would
not affect laws around trafficking.

If Larsen's petition receives enough signatures, the amendment, called
the Sensible Policing Act, could go to a province-wide referendum in
September 2014.

"This confirms that B.C. has the power to decriminalize marijuana in
this province," said Larsen, a director of the Sensible Change
Society, which is behind the Sensible B.C. campaign to decriminalize
marijuana.

In addition to decriminalizing marijuana, the Sensible Policing Act
aims to call upon the federal government to repeal marijuana
prohibition and establish a commission to determine regulations for
cultivation and sale in B.C.

Larsen said polling indicates majority support for decriminalization
in every major demographic in B.C.

"They don't want that (marijuana) to be the focus of police
resources," said Larsen, explaining the popularity of
decriminalization among British Columbians.

It costs the province an estimated $10.5 million per year to bust pot
smokers, said Larsen. Moreover, regulation of cultivation and sale of
the drug could generate millions of dollars for the province, he added.

However, Larsen said the largest challenge in the fight for
decriminalization won't be convincing British Columbian's it's a good
idea.

"Winning the election is the easy part," he said. "The hard part is
getting the signatures and getting on the ballot."

The Sensible B.C. campaign will have just 90 days beginning Sept. 9 to
collect the signatures of at least 10 per cent of registered voters in
each of B.C.'s 85 electoral districts, about 400,000 people, said Larsen.

Although Larson's petition application is the ninth approved by
Elections BC since 1995, only one such petition has ever garnered
enough signatures to bring a legislative proposal to a referendum: the
petition for a referendum on the HST.

For more information about the Sensible B.C. Campaign, visit
sensiblebc.ca .
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MAP posted-by: Matt