Pubdate: Wed, 15 Feb 2012
Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC)
Copyright: 2012 Times Colonist
Contact: http://www2.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/letters.html
Website: http://www.timescolonist.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481
Author: Rob Shaw
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)
Cited: Stop the Violence BC http://stoptheviolencebc.org/

FOUR EX-ATTORNEYS GENERAL URGE LEGALIZATION OF POT

Four B.C. attorneys general are calling for marijuana to be 
legalized, regulated and taxed.

Colin Gablemann, Ujjal Dosanjh, Graeme Bowbrick and Geoff Plant 
released a joint letter calling on Premier Christy Clark and 
Opposition NDP leader Adrian Dix to endorse the idea, saying it would 
help stop gang violence, raise money and ease the strain on the justice system.

In their letter, the attorneys general write: "The case demonstrating 
the failure and harms of marijuana prohibition is airtight ...

"Massive profits for organized crime, widespread gang violence, easy 
access to illegal cannabis for our youth, reduced community safety 
and significant-and escalating-costs to taxpayers."

Clark sidestepped the issue Tuesday, saying a decision to legalize 
marijuana has to come from the federal government and she won't get involved.

"I am going to leave the marijuana debate to the federal government," 
Clark said.

The NDP has long said that marijuana should be decriminalized.

Clark refused to answer a question from reporters on whether she'd 
smoke marijuana. Dix said he had once, in 1989, and he didn't enjoy it.

The attorneys general letter was an endorsement of the Stop the 
Violence B.C. campaign, which is advocating the position.

The campaign says four former Vancouver mayors and the Health 
Officers Council of B.C. have also endorsed the call to regulate and 
sell marijuana under the public health framework.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom