Pubdate: Thu, 20 Sep 2012
Source: Chief, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2012 Whistler Printing & Publishing
Contact: http://www.squamishchief.com/section/squamish0303&template=letter
Website: http://www.squamishchief.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2414

DISTRICT TO ENDORSE CANNABIS REGULATION AT UBCM

Squamish is taking the ganja to the Union of British Columbia 
Municipalities (UBCM) table next week.

At Tuesday's (Sept. 18) council meeting, Coun. Bryan Raiser made a 
motion calling for the District of Squamish write to UBCM and 
provincial and federal ministers of health and justice endorsing the 
adoption of a public health-based, regulatory approach to cannabis 
taxation and control.

This was not the first time Raiser sparked the subject. In July, he 
asked that council support a letter calling for regulation of 
marijuana that was signed by several B.C. politicians, including 
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson and the City of North Vancouver 
Mayor Darrell Mussatto. The motion was defeated by Mayor Rob Kirkham, 
Coun. Ron Sander and Coun. Doug Race. Councillors Patricia Heintzman 
and Susan Chapelle were absent from the July meeting.

On Tuesday the trio were outnumbered as Heintzman and Chapelle sided 
with Raiser.

Although the issue is beyond the district's reach, it's council's 
duty to raise constituents' concerns with provincial and federal 
politicians, Raiser argued.

"One big job of being a councillor is talking to other levels of 
government," he said.

Race said council didn't have a mandate from the community to express 
opinions on marijuana regulation.

As a massage therapist, Chapelle said she sees the benefit of the 
drug through her cancer patients. Sander retorted that current laws 
already allow the medical use of marijuana. People who believe that 
legalizing the substance will eliminate crime are naive, he added. 
"[Council] should be focusing on the things we identified 
collectively as a community," Sander said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom