Pubdate: Thu, 12 Dec 2013
Source: Maple Ridge Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2013 Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc
Contact:  http://www.mrtimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1372
Author: Maria Rantanen
Cited: Sensible BC: http://www.sensiblebc.ca

POT PETITION FALLS SHORT

In the two local ridings, 5,400 people signed on to ask the province 
for a referendum on marijuana.

Craig Speirs was surprised at all the "haters" who surfaced and 
challenged him while he was collecting names on a petition asking for 
a referendum on marijuana.

While the petition failed to get enough signatures to force a 
referendum - officially it was announced on Monday by Elections BC - 
Speirs said organizers are ready to go again.

The former Maple Ridge councillor led the Sensible BC campaign in the 
two local provincial ridings, Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge-Mission.

Sensible BC needed to collect signatures from 10 per cent of voters 
in each of the 85 ridings in the province.

The petition would have asked the provincial government to hold a 
referendum to decriminalize the use of marijuana.

According to Speirs, the canvassers collected more than 200,000 
signatures throughout the province, which was two-thirds of what they needed.

In the riding of Maple Ridge-Mission, they collected eight per cent, 
and in the riding of Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows, they collected seven per cent.

All together, there were 5,400 signatures collected in the two 
ridings by 75 canvassers.

Speirs and the canvassers were outside at a table at Memorial Peace 
Park collecting signatures, and later in the campaign, they went door knocking.

While there were a lot of supporters of asking for the referendum, 
there were also detractors.

"Along the way we met lots of people that were very grateful that we 
were fighting this fight for them but we also met some very fearful 
and angry people," Speirs said. "We were accused of being a bunch of 
drug addicts, pot heads, and criminals who just want to get their 
children hooked on drugs."

But, Speirs said the canvassers were "law-abiding citizens," who 
wanted to control, regulate, and educate people about cannabis so 
that it can be kept away from children.

Speirs also said some people didn't sign the petition because they 
worried their employer or the government would find out.

This petition was to ask the province to hold a referendum on 
decriminalizing marijuana, but Speirs said the end goal has always 
been legalization and normalization of marijuana.

"Anyone who can grow this plant should be allowed to," he said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom