"We're leaving a nightmare," said Dana Larsen of his hope for the decriminalization of cannabis. No stranger to the world of cannabis advocacy, Larsen has focused his most recent efforts on decriminalization with his Sensible B.C. campaign. Larsen is touring B.C. to promote the campaign, stopping in Kamloops on Nov. 20. Sensible B.C. has proposed what it calls the Sensible Policing Act, which would prevent the use of police resources to enforce cannabis possession laws. If the act is approved by a proposed referendum and becomes law, it would effectively decriminalize the substance. But regulation of cannabis falls under the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, meaning provincial governments do not have the power to outright decriminalize cannabis. [continues 708 words]
What is really at stake if B.C. follows Washington state and Colorado and successfully legalizes marijuana? Money, of course, that other green substance. Let's start with the estimated value of the illicit pot growing industry here in B.C. It's often claimed to be between $6 billion and $8 billion, a fairly rough estimate given that none of the principals are filling out any corporate tax forms or quarterly earning reports. Even if it's lower than the estimates, it's a huge industry. By contrast, in 2011 the entire forest industry had a value of just under $10 billion. [continues 533 words]
It's a long way from Ladner to Downtown Eastside for A/Sgt. Kalwinder Dosanjh A/Sgt. Kalwinder Dosanjh has been working the streets of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside for half a dozen years. He moves through the throng of people at Main and Hastings with ease. He's part of a small team trying to deal with the myriad of problems plaguing the area that's been described as Canada's poorest postal code. A man walks by. He's slightly hunched, his eyes glued to the ground, head swiveling back and forth. [continues 997 words]
VANCOUVER (The Canadian Press) - A B.C. marijuana activist has withdrawn his petition to decriminalize pot, saying he will spend the next 10 months gathering volunteers and support before submitting it again. Elections BC approved a petition in September by Dana Larsen, who wants to use B.C.'s unique citizen's initiative legislation to force a debate on the issue or even a referendum. The petition calls for changes to the Police Act to prohibit the use of provincial police resources to enforce simple possession-and-use laws for adults. [continues 134 words]
A B. C. marijuana activist has withdrawn his petition to decriminalize pot, saying he will spend the next 10 months gathering volunteers and support before submitting it again. Elections BC approved a petition in September by Dana Larsen, who wants to use B. C.' s unique citizens' initiative legislation to force a debate on the issue or even a referendum. The petition calls for changes to the Police Act to prohibit the use of provincial police resources to enforce simple possession- and-use laws for adults. [continues 66 words]
Over the last year, we've had numerous leaders from our province promoting the legalization of marijuana, from former city mayors, politicians, medical people, people who are generally "in the know." In their defence, I think there is sincerity in their motives. For some they are concerned with the potential tragedy of young people ending up in jail or having their future careers damaged by charges related to the possession of a few ounces of marijuana. And in all fairness, the war on drugs hasn't been effective. But what I'm wrestling with is, will decriminalizing marijuana solve the problem? By that logic we could empty all the prisons if we just decriminalized prostitution and thievery and murder and . . . [continues 612 words]
A study released this month has revealed the cost the failed war on drugs is having on the British Columbia economy. A new study by a coalition of researchers from the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University estimates the B.C. cannabis market could provide the government with $2.5 billion in tax and licensing revenues over the next five years. "If you begin to stand back and calculate just how much potential tax revenue is instead going to fuel organized crime, it really highlights how we need to start questioning our current approach," said Dr. Evan Wood, senior author of the study. [continues 222 words]
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. [continues 375 words]
Re: "B.C.'s poverty rate ranks 2nd worst in nation, report says," Nov. 22. Let's kill a whole flock of birds with just one stone. B.C.'s child-poverty problem is disgraceful. Money is urgently needed to begin remedying this unacceptable situation. Yet the government is already cash-strapped, or so we're told. The Times Colonist recently reported that British Columbians buy an estimated half-billion dollars worth of marijuana annually. That is a half-billion dollars of untaxed economic activity. The province doesn't collect sales and excise tax on the end-user transactions. It doesn't collect business taxes nor does it receive any of the income tax that ought to be paid by producers and their employees. Instead, these tax scofflaws use those unremitted revenues to purchase other consumables brought into the province, including guns, heroin, cocaine and meth. [continues 130 words]
Letters to the editor perform a valuable purpose in disseminating alternative ideas about subjects of interest in the news. Some are written from a sensible, reasoned stance, others contain nothing but bluster, misinformation and hyperbole. Witness the letter published in the Nov. 14 PNR by Eileen Nattrass. She summoned up all the lies, half-truths and hyperbole that she could find or dream up. If one examines her assertions, they look ridiculous. Marijuana causes deafness? That's a new one. I must thank the editors for publishing this nonsense because when the public sees how flimsy the prohibitionist arguments are, when the refutations are overwhelming as I am sure they are, the public is educated. Not in the way intended by Ms. Nattrass, because the public will see that they have been deceived by false arguments and question the more reasonable-appearing arguments of the professional prohibitionists. She is actually sowing the seeds of the end of prohibition with her illogical arguments. Thank you, Ms. Nattrass for being such an obvious tool of the prohibitionists. Bruce Symington Medicine Hat, Alberta [end]
Carl Anderson Already Eyeing Potential Properties Kamloops medical marijuana advocate Carl Anderson is shopping for industrial property after he learned City council is looking at a bylaw change that would create zoning for pot plant production. "I am searching for industrial property. I've already got the calls out. I want to be the first," he said Friday. "I've never grown in my home; always in outbuildings. But I've always been in fear for my family. And I have had instances of people trying to break in." [continues 347 words]
In the late 1990s I was doing open-line radio and Bill "I-never-inhaled" Clinton was president of the United States. One morning I got a call and was asked if I'd ever smoked dope. In a fit of bravado and unbridled candour I said, "My dear for many years I was a musician, I've smoked everything I could light and inhaled all the way down to my toenails." The newsroom archived that comment and years later played the clip for my on-air retirement party. For the record - not that I'm counting - I had my last smoke of anything at 12:30 p.m. Jan. 23, 1988. [continues 682 words]
Hope Signs Send Positive Message to Fellow Band Members on Reserve Once again, the message is loud and clear: drugs and alcohol are unwelcome on the Skwah First Nation. Following on the heels of last year's successful Walk For Peace, dozens of Skwah members gathered last Friday for dinner and to craft two dozen signs touting a healthy lifestyle. The colourful signs, with slogans like "Give Hugs, Not Drugs" and "Evict Drugs," now decorate power poles around the reserve. It's the latest in ongoing attempts by Skwah leaders and community members to up the pressure on their fellow residents. [continues 425 words]
Halloween is far behind us and Remembrance Day is just a memory, so I guess now it's time for the next big thing. No, not Christmas. That's not until what, the end of December? I'm talking about the next big thing - Drug Awareness Week. Now just chill before you haul out that spliff or start honking a gagger in celebration. That's not what this is about and besides, the herb is not yet legal in British Columbia and the federal Tories are - - as usual - moving in the exact opposite direction from common sense and decency on the issue. [continues 511 words]
VICTORIA - Federal Liberal leadership candidate Justin Trudeau made a swing through B.C. Wednesday, weighing in on debates about oil pipelines, marijuana and other hot political topics. Trudeau shook up the national energy debate this week by coming out in favour of oil exports to Asia, and the proposed takeover of Alberta oilsands producer Nexen by a Chinese state corporation. At a radio town hall meeting, Trudeau said he supports oil exports and Chinese investment because the investment and trade will create more middle-class employment in Canada. But he hastened to add he opposes the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline proposed to run from Alberta to Kitimat. He accused Enbridge of failing to consult with aboriginal people along the route and said he is opposed to a crude oil pipeline to B.C.'s North Coast. [continues 251 words]
Marijuana reform advocates hope Washington and Colorado states' recent vote to legalize and tax marijuana sales will add momentum to their push for change in B.C. Washington state estimates it would collect $560 million in the first year from a 25-per-cent tax on the sale of regulated marijuana through authorized stores. If enacted, this could also cause a partial collapse of B.C.'s estimated $7-billion-a-year illegal pot industry, as growers relocate to the U.S. to avoid the need to smuggle. [continues 202 words]
Re: Time for a change to B.C. pot laws (Our View, Nov. 9) Research and discovery of the harms associated with the use of crude smoked marijuana continues to implicate cannabis as a causative factor in the development of mental illnesses among users of marijuana, particularly schizophrenia and psychosis. For community leaders, current and former government officials, newspaper editors, and others to consider promoting a public policy that reduces the restrictions on distributing marijuana with implications that it is not a harmful and addictive drug, creates an obligation to perform due diligence before promoting or endorsing such a position. [continues 99 words]
Municipality Wants to Use Zoning Bylaws to Restrict Where Pot Is Grown Maple Ridge is looking at amending its zoning bylaws to limit medicinal marijuana grow-operations to agricultural areas. Growing marijuana for medicinal purposes is regulated by the federal government, through a Health Canada licence. Therefore, noted a staff report to Maple Ridge council, "local governments have limited power to restrict this land use within municipal boundaries." But, they are able to restrict its production to specific areas. Councillor Michael Morden initiated the issue with council in June, and while it doesn't get to the violence and organized crime component of the issue, he's pleased it's being dealt with at the municipal level. [continues 293 words]
What is really at stake if British Columbia follows Washington State and Colorado and successfully legalizes marijuana? Money, of course, that other green substance. Let's start with the estimated value of the illicit pot growing industry here in B.C. It's often claimed to be between $6 billion to $8 billion, a fairly rough estimate given that none of the principals are filling out any corporate tax forms or quarterly earning reports. Even if it's lower than the estimates, it's a huge industry. By contrast, in 2011 the entire forest industry had a value of just under $10 billion. [continues 534 words]
Re: Let others pioneer pot liberalization first, Letters, Nov. 19 Letter writer Rob Brandreth-Gibbs accused cannabis law reform advocates of avoiding and failing to discuss several questions he has with respect to cannabis legalization. I recommend he read the report of the Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs of 2002, "Cannabis: Our Position for a Canadian Public Policy." The committee interviewed dozens of expert witnesses and exhaustively reviewed mountains of evidence and peer-reviewed research before publishing its four volume report, which unanimously recommended cannabis be regulated in a manner similar to alcohol and tobacco, the sooner the better. [continues 142 words]
UBC and SFU researchers find decriminalization would reduce organized crime and lower the rate of cannabis use Legalizing marijuana in B. C. could generate $ 2.5 billion in government tax and licensing revenues over the next five years, according to a study published this month in the International Journal of Drug Policy. The information comes after Washington state and Colorado passed measures two weeks ago approving the legalization of marijuana for adult use under a strictly regulated system. The study - conducted by a coalition of University of B. C. and Simon Fraser University researchers - used surveillance data from the Centre for Addictions Research to estimate the annual value of the B. C. retail cannabis market at between $ 443 million and $ 564 million. [continues 285 words]
British Columbians spend half-a-billion dollars a year on pot - and a new study says decriminalizing the drug could fill government coffers with $500 million a year in new tax revenue. Dr. Evan Wood, senior author of the study, said this is the first serious attempt to calculate the B.C. domestic market for pot - and may help convince B.C.ers that decriminalizing is better than the ineffective war on drugs. "Governments in North America have now spent $1 trillion on the war on drugs, but young people have easier access to marijuana than tobacco or alcohol," said Wood, who serves as the Canada Research Chair in Inner City Medicine at the University of B.C. "These laws have created marijuana grow-ops, hydro theft, home invasions and gang activity. [continues 249 words]
Don't look too hard for the reason in the federal government's policy on drugs. Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq rejected a plea from her provincial counterparts this week to ban oxycodone. It raises questions about where, exactly, this government stands on substance abuse, when it involves big corporate interests. Oxycodone is a powerful narcotic, usually sold as a pill that addicts can grind up and inject, for a high similar to heroin. And it's equally addictive. Last year the manufacturer replaced it with a version that is more difficult to inject, easing at least some of the concerns about its misuse. [continues 401 words]
Legalization of marijuana-will it work? Much has been said about the benefits of legalizing marijuana. It will be controlled, taxable, no harm to the economy or personal health, and fewer deaths due to gang violence. All looks rosy. The media seem to have been caught up in the hype without looking at this topic with a more critical eye. From a drug dealer's perspective, legalization is a good thing. We are told that the marijuana trade in B.C. brings in roughly $6 billion per year. [continues 212 words]
Editor: Re: Shaun Thomas' Nov. 14 column, Prince Rupert Northern View. Now that neighbouring Washington State and Colorado have legalized marijuana, Ottawa can no longer claim Canada must uphold marijuana prohibition in order to maintain good U.S. relations. In 2002, the Canadian Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs concluded that marijuana is relatively benign, prohibition contributes to organized crime, and law enforcement efforts have little impact on patterns of use. Consider the experience of the former land of the free and current world leader in per capita incarceration. The U.S. has double the rate of marijuana use as the Netherlands, where marijuana is legally available. The only winners in the war on marijuana are drug cartels and shameless tough-on-drugs politicians who confuse the drug war's tremendous collateral damage with a comparatively harmless plant. Policy Analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy Washington, D.C. [end]
A decades-old debate regarding the legalization and taxation of marijuana has been reignited by a new study by researchers at the University of B.C. and Simon Fraser University. British Columbia's domestic cannabis market could be worth more than $500 million annually, resulting in $2.5 billion in tax and licensing revenues over the next 5 years, according to the study. But according to some experts, a successful taxation and regulation market in B.C. would need to take a public health approach. [continues 317 words]
Liberal MLA Doug Horne will be in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, today representing B.C. at the Pacific Northwest Economic Region conference. It's a regular meeting of western provinces and states where officials talk about common concerns. Marijuana is not on the agenda, Horne said, and he has no plans to bring it up. But you can bet some hallway chatter will be about the ground breaking Washington state initiative vote last week that effectively legalizes the recreational use of up to one ounce of pot by adults. [continues 657 words]
An Open House during National Addictions Awareness Week (Nov.19 to 25) will showcase the wide variety of resources available to help people in the Central Okanagan. Representatives from more than 30 agencies and organizations that actively work to assist people struggling with or impacted by substance abuse will be on hand for the event. It takes place Thursday, Nov. 22, 2:30 to 5:30 p.m., at Trinity Baptist Church, 1905 Springfield Rd. Christene Walsh, social development coordinator with the Regional District of Central Okanagan, says acknowledging local resources and the vital services they provide our community is one key benefit of this event, yet sharing this knowledge with the broader community is just as essential. [continues 195 words]
Medical marijuana is here to stay and Maple Ridge can't do much about it, except to say it should go on farmland and not in residential neighourhoods. A staff report says staff and a lawyer should write up such a bylaw, an idea that was sent to a future council meeting for full discussion. District planner Diana Hall told council that Maple Ridge can't restrict medical marijuana production for personal use, but it can regulate the commercial production of medical marijuana by requiring that it go in specific zones, in this case, farmland. [continues 564 words]
VCH says better programs available elsewhere Money has run out for the Rainier Hotel addictions treatment program for women. The program offers addictions and clinical treatment to 41 homeless women in the Downtown Eastside over a longer term and focuses on former sex-trade workers. As they progress in their treatment, the women move up from the treatment program on the second floor to the third floor for housing and career assistance and receive continued clinical support. But the $5 million funding from Health Canada will run dry by early December. Vancouver Coastal Health has decided not to continue the program with money it receives from the provincial government and will find space for these women in other treatment programs and services. [continues 464 words]
On Tuesday, Nov. 6, both the states of Colorado and Washington passed ballots legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, raising interest from advocates about the possible impact of the decision here in British Columbia. Some 55 per cent of voters in Washington approved Initiative 502, legalizing the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana by anyone over the age of 21. The question of legalization of marijuana has been a longstanding dispute in our own province, and this change in policy down south has strengthened the cry for similar action here in Canada. [continues 627 words]
Have no doubt: The War on Drugs, if its defenders capitulate, will segue into a War on Boring, Un-newsworthy, Conscientious Taxpayers. The usual victims. They'll be paying big for the fresh mess that would be created by sea-to-sea legalization of the mind-fuzzying weed - just what the economically beaten-down United States needs as it teeters on the brink of the so-called fiscal cliff, and vulnerable Canada, too. And a pottage it would be, of slick Next Big Thing businesses and swollen new bureaucracies. [continues 533 words]
Re: Decriminalization of pot in Canada is a sensible idea whose time has come, Barbara Yaffe column, Nov. 15, Another sensible idea would first let Washington and Colorado's recreational drug experience answer some critical questions before we commit ourselves to legal pot. Will displaced pot traffickers be forced to push more potent designer drugs? Will cannabis tourism overwhelm as it has in Amsterdam? Will the market prefer high-THC pot over the government-sanctioned version? Will pot's scientifically known toxicity to DNA, bodies and minds actually prove to be significantly harmful to the public? Will the streets register increased deaths and injury due to marijuana inebriation? [continues 224 words]
Liberal MLA Doug Horne was Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, on Thursday representing B.C. at the Pacific Northwest Economic Region conference. It's a regular meeting of western provinces and states where officials talk about common concerns. Marijuana is not on the agenda, Horne said, and he has no plans to bring it up. But you can bet some hallway chatter will be about the groundbreaking Washington state initiative vote last week that effectively legalizes the recreational use of up to one ounce of pot by adults. [continues 517 words]
Liberal MLA Doug Horne was in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, this week representing B.C. at the Pacific Northwest Economic Region conference. It's a regular meeting of western provinces and states, where officials talk about common concerns. Marijuana was not on the agenda, Horne said, and he had no plans to bring it up. But you can bet there was hallway chatter about the groundbreaking Washington state vote last week that effectively legalizes the possession of up to one ounce of pot by adults. [continues 657 words]
What do I think of when I hear the word "pot?" Horrible smell, blaze, light, smoke, high, legalization. Should marijuana be legalized? I think that it should, but with a limited amount for each person though. So many people are blazing it up, trying to escape their reality for just a little bit, trying to get a little escalation without doing anything too addicting. People are going to be inhaling this green plant regardless of whether it's legal or not. [continues 56 words]
Washington and Colorado recently passed referendums on legalizing the recreational use of marijuana. This is probably a harbinger of the future on the grounds that the advantages of legalization outweigh the disadvantages. Since we do not have the intestinal fortitude to follow in the footsteps of Singapore, such legalization may well be much closer than we think. Unfortunately, planning for a world in which marijuana has been legalized seems to be hopelessly flawed. Those who are strongly in favour of legalization are in the habit if comparing the use of marijuana to that of alcohol, but this parallel is extremely misleading. The preferred method of imbibing THC is to smoke marijuana. There are therefore many reasons for comparing marijuana usage to tobacco use. [continues 483 words]
A group crusading for the decriminalization of marijuana stopped in the Peace Region to raise awareness of the cause. Dana Larsen, director of Sensible B.C., spoke to supporters about the campaign he is running to have the province adopt the Sensible Policing Act. This legislation would stop police from arresting people for possession of marijuana. "We want to legalize all aspects of the cannabis industry and bring it forward into a regulated system," explained Larsen. Larsen believes that it's important that he visits all the regions in British Columbia, including the Peace Region. [continues 848 words]
'The drug laws do far more harm than the drugs themselves' Allan Boisvert doesn't think a person caught smoking a joint should have it dog them for the rest of their lives. Because of this, the Parksville resident and marijuana activist is organizing two public forums on the marijuana issue, featuring former NDP leadership contender and decriminalization promoter Dana Larsen. The first of these is slated to be held at the Qualicum Beach Library on Friday, Dec. 7, from noon to 1 p.m., with a second event at the Parksville Civic Centre from 7 - 9 p.m. [continues 346 words]
"Except as authorized under the regulations, no person shall possess =C2=85 cannabis, its preparations, derivatives and similar synthetic preparations, including =C2=85 cannabis (marihuana)." - Controlled Drugs and Substances Act More than twice as many marijuana possession charges have been laid in Nelson in recent years compared to a decade ago. The Vancouver Sun reported last week on the rise in charges for simple possession province-wide: 88 per cent between 2002 and 2011, far in excess of the population increase over the same period. [continues 713 words]
Call it the Marijuana domino effect. Less than two weeks after Washington and Colorado voted to legalize and regulate cannabis, lawmakers in five other states say they are considering similar bills. In Latin American, Mexican President Felipe Calderon says Uncle Sam now has lost the "moral authority" to ask other nations to maintain the cannabis prohibition and combat trafficking. A fundamental change has occurred, he added, that requires the rethinking of public policy in the entire Western Hemisphere. Calderon joined the leaders of Belize, Honduras and Costa Rica on Monday calling for the Organization of American States to study the change, and saying the UN General Assembly should hold a special session on the prohibition of drugs by 2015. [continues 632 words]
What is really at stake if B.C. follows Washington State and Colorado and successfully legalizes marijuana? Money, of course, that other green substance. Let's start with the estimated value of the illicit pot growing industry here in B.C. It's often claimed to be between $6 to $8 billion, a fairly rough estimate given that none of the principals are filling out any corporate tax forms or quarterly earning reports. Even if it's lower than the estimates, it's a huge industry. By contrast, in 2011 the entire forest industry had a value of just under $10 billion. [continues 534 words]
Dana Larsen brings his decriminalize-pot message to the Okanagan next week. Larsen, a former leader of the Marijuana Party, is touring Penticton, Kelowna and Vernon to promote new legislation that would decriminalize pot possession in the province. Recent votes to legalize cannabis in the U.S. have boosted his campaign. "Reporters from around B.C. and across Canada have been calling to find out how we plan to do it in B.C. after what activists accomplished in Washington and Colorado," he said in a statement. [continues 238 words]
Marijuana is legal in the great state of Washington. To find out how this new law will impact the pot industry in British Columbia, I spoke with a person whose livelihood is dependent on the drug trade - namely, a drug dealer. The drug dealer will remain anonymous for reasons too obvious to enumerate. Samuel Kirz: Some speculate that the marijuana business contributes approximately $6 billion to the economy of British Columbia annually, and that B.C. produces 40% of all marijuana consumed in Canada. Are these numbers accurate? [continues 649 words]
As part of the U.S. election last week, two states - Washington and Colorado - on state-wide ballots voted in favour of the legalization of marijuana that would make recreational use of the drug legal (although it is only a matter of time before the U.S. federal government steps in). I have to shake my head at such short sighted thinking on the part of these two states. This September a majority of mayors here in B.C. voted to "decriminalize marijuana and research the regulation and taxation of marijuana." It might be helpful to look at the difference between decriminalization and legalization. [continues 968 words]
The people of Richmond are being asked to judge videos created by local students about the harsh reality of ecstasy use and abuse. As part of an awareness program run in the district's schools by Richmond Addictions Services, the X-Press Youth Video Contest was launched, where students Grades 8 to 12 created videos to raise awareness about the consequences ecstasy use can have on individuals, families and the community. Addiction specialists presented 23 information sessions to students in Richmond secondary schools, community centres and local service providers. [continues 99 words]
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." [continues 526 words]
Dana Larsen wants cops to stop worrying about recreational pot smokers. Larsen stopped in Prince Rupert last week to promote the sensible Policing Act which aims to decriminalize possession of marijuana in British Columbia. "The Sensible Policing Act will amend the Police Act... by instructing police in British Columbia to spend no time or resources on searching, seizing, detaining or arresting anyone for simple possession of cannabis essentially decriminalizing it," Larsen said at Wednesday's gathering at the Prince Rupert Library. [continues 269 words]
The Harper Conservatives have newly nixed the idea of reforming Canada's pot laws but that's not stopping activists in B. C. from mobilizing for decriminalization. The issue is back in the news following Nov. 6 votes in Colorado and Washington to relax marijuana legislation. Like Canada's government, the Obama administration, remains opposed, making a showdown between state voters and Washington, D. C., almost inevitable. The same sort of showdown, between B. C. and Ottawa, doubtless would ensue should a proposed 2014 referendum to decriminalize pot be endorsed by B. C.' s voters. [continues 546 words]
A group crusading for the decriminalization of marijuana stopped in the Peace Region to raise awareness of the cause. Dana Larsen, director of Sensible B.C., spoke to supporters about the campaign he is running to have the province adopt the Sensible Policing Act. This legislation would stop police from arresting people for possession of marijuana. "We want to legalize all aspects of the cannabis industry and bring it forward into a regulated system," explained Larsen. Larsen believes that it's important that he visits all the regions in British Columbia, including the Peace Region. [continues 849 words]
Inside British Columbia
