Pubdate: Wed, 13 Jun 2012
Source: Nelson Star (CN BC)
Copyright: 2012 Black Press
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/4kNvY8sy
Website: http://www.bclocalnews.com/kootenay_rockies/nelsonstar/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4866
Author: Megan Cole
Cited: Stop the Violence BC: http://stoptheviolencebc.org/
Cited: transcript: 
http://thenelsondaily.com/news/nelson-council-debates-legalization-pot-19460

COUNCIL ERUPTS OVER POT MOTION

Monday night motion to support Stop the Violence BC campaign sparks 
heated debate; Mayor Dooley says he will 'go to the wall' to keep it 
from happening

Emotions ran high Monday night as Nelson city council debated a 
resolution that asked the mayor to write a letter in support of the 
Stop the Violence BC campaign.

"I believe it will have a negative impact on our community," said 
Mayor John Dooley. "The domestic market is only supporting a small 
portion of organized crime. The drugs that are being grown in British 
Columbia are being sold to the United States in exchange for cocaine 
that is being brought back to be sold to the youth in this community 
and the children in our schoolyards. I sit on the police board, I see 
the evidence and I can not put this community in that position."

Stop the Violence BC is a coalition of academics, past and present 
law enforcement members and the general public. Guided by scientific 
evidence this educational campaign is calling for "a strict 
regulatory framework aimed at limiting use while also starving 
organized crime of the profits they reap as a result of prohibition."

Councillor Donna Macdonald introduced the issue to council late last 
month after receiving an email from a resident.

Before Macdonald could introduce her recommendation on Monday, 
Councillor Robin Cherbo brought forward his own which asked that the 
topic of regulation and taxation of marijuana be referred to the 
Union of BC Municipalities for analysis and research.

Cherbo stated that if council referred the issue to the Union of BC 
Municipalities, "Nelson would not be acting in isolation."

Dooley said he would not sign a letter in support of the campaign and 
said he would "go to the wall" in opposition of it.

"This resolution should never have come forward in this manner," said 
Dooley. "This is the wrong way to bring this forward."

The resolution introduced by Cherbo was called into question and 
defeated when councillors Deb Kozak, Paula Kiss, Candace Batycki and 
Macdonald voted against.

Kozak, who voted in support of the original motion put forward by 
Macdonald, said she had interpreted the resolution differently than Dooley.

"When we talk about prohibition and we talk about stopping the 
violence, when alcohol was regulated it did stop a lot of the 
violence," said Kozak. "The gang warfare over alcohol ended. There 
was discussion and people needed to introduce it to be discussed... I 
don't believe it lessens the safety of our community. I can't agree 
with you there."

When the original motion introduced by Macdonald was called to 
question, Kiss, Batycki, Kozak and Macdonald voted in favour, while 
Dooley, Cherbo and Councillor Bob Adams voted against.

"The reason that we are in this position today with the violence, 
gang control and the special THC marijuana that we're seeing out on 
the market today, is that prohibition brought us all these problems," 
said Kiss in response to comments by Cherbo. "The problems are 100 
per cent because of prohibition, so both of you [Cherbo and Dooley] 
have made a convincing case against prohibition. I am saying please 
let us be leaders in starting this discussion about coming up with a 
system that is better."

Both Dooley and Cherbo said Nelson should not act on this issue in isolation.

"We're not doing this in isolation," said Kiss in response. "We're 
being progressive leaders."

Dooley said he is showing leadership as far as what the community wants.

"We are showing leadership. We're saying we want the full information 
package to make an informed decision," he said. "This is a decision 
promoted by one group. I've outlined for myself a number of 
questions. I can't in good conscience support it without my concerns 
being addressed."

Although eight mayors have signed letters in support of the Stop the 
Violence BC campaign, Dooley said all mayors would not sign the letter.

"At the end of the day they are the guys that call the shots," said 
Dooley. "It's not the police chief that is retired or Ujjal Dosanjh 
that is no longer running for politics or Larry Campbell that is now 
a senator living high off the hog in Ottawa, those guys have been 
down the road, they are not looking to be elected again. It's the 
people in these chairs."

Dooley mentioned that Holland has recently introduced legislation to 
address the country's reputation for "drug tourism."

"Their reputation has gone in the tank due to this," said Dooley. "Is 
that what we want for our community? I don't think so. And guess 
what, I'll say this once again I'll go to the wall on this... in 
three years, I'll go to the wall. People have stood up at Central 
School before on that platform and they have been defeated."

It was suggested by city manager Kevin Cormack that council amend the 
motion so that instead of having the mayor write a letter in support 
that the letter come from council.

Macdonald introduced a new motion at the end of the meeting that the 
original motion be deferred until the first meeting after the Union 
of BC Municipalities convention.

"We're sort of at this ugly stalemate and if it would make people 
feel better to go to the UBCM and see what is said there, I'm happy 
to wait. I still support this resolution, but in the interest of good 
relations I'm happy to wait until after UBCM. As much as I would like 
us to show leadership, apparently that's not going to happen."

The motion was passed with Kiss, Batycki, Kozak and Macdonald voting 
in support. Dooley, Cherbo and Adams voted against.

The Union of BC Municipalities convention is scheduled for September 24 to 28.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom