Pubdate: Sat, 02 Jan 2016 Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC) Copyright: 2016 Postmedia Network Inc. Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477 Author: Tracy Sherlock Page: A14 Cited: Sensible BC: http://www.sensiblebc.ca LEAFING THROUGH PAGES TAKES LITERAL TURN Cannabis graphic novel includes gram of marijuana One morning this week, when I opened my mail at work, one of the books sent for review caught my attention. It was a large graphic novel, Cannabis in Canada, written by Vancouver marijuana activist Dana Larsen and illustrated by Patrick Dowers. It was the smell that really grabbed me. Inside the book was a small brown paper envelope containing a gram of marijuana, which dispersed the telltale scent of weed throughout the office. Larsen said he mailed out about 100 packages just before Christmas to Liberal Members of Parliament and members of the media across the country, each with a copy of his new book and a gram of pot. He hopes the package gets their attention, too. "I want them to read the book. I would like them to learn more about cannabis history," Larsen said in an interview. "They're going to be legalizing it soon and I think if we're going to be looking forward to how we will legalize it, it's good to look back and see how it was made illegal and the important role this plant has played in Canadian history and Canadian culture." Long time Liberal MP for Vancouver Centre Hedy Fry, who is also a physician, got the same package. She said she is concerned that the package could get into the hands of youth and that it was mailed, which doesn't comply with the regulations for transporting marijuana in Canada. "Our government has promised to legalize cannabis because Canadian youth have the highest access and rate of use of cannabis in the world, (according to UNICEF and WHO)," Fry said. "Legalizing and regulating, including age limits for sale, as we do with cigarettes and alcohol, will prevent access by youth." She noted that Canadian youth have the lowest rate of tobacco use in the world. Some MP constituency office addresses were not set up yet, but Larsen says he will mail more books and pot out in the New Year. Larsen is the founder of Sensible B. C., an organization devoted to legalizing marijuana, and he was a founding member of the B.C. Marijuana Party and the Canadian Marijuana Party. He ran as an NDP candidate in 2008 and in 2011 he ran for the leadership of the B.C. NDP. Sending pot in the mail isn't legal, Larsen said. "But then, pretty much nothing I do in terms of marijuana is actually legal," he said. "If you've still got that marijuana on your desk, you're breaking the law by possessing it." None of the MPs he sent the book to has responded, Larsen said, but he thinks they were likely just receiving the packages on Tuesday. The Vancouver Sun contacted the Liberal Party of Canada, Canada Post and Liberal MP and Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould for reaction to the package, with no response. Larsen hopes the Liberals will fulfil their campaign promise to legalize marijuana, but he's now concerned with what legalization will look like. There has been a push for marijuana to be sold in government liquor stores, a move Larsen said he isn't completely opposed to. "As long as there are other options, too, I'm not too worried about it, but if they're going to give liquor stores a monopoly on cannabis sales, that I think is a mistake," Larsen said, adding that because many people use marijuana as a substitute for alcohol it wouldn't be a good idea to send them into liquor stores to buy marijuana. The book sells for $9.95 and can be bought at CannabisHistory.ca. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt