Pubdate: Thu, 27 Sep 2012
Source: Kamloops This Week (CN BC)
Copyright: 2012 Kamloops This Week
Contact:  http://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1271
Author: Andrea Klassen

A CALL TO DECRIMINALIZE MARIJUANA IN CANADA

The Union of British Columbia Municipalities is urging the federal 
government to decriminalize marijuana.

The resolution, which was up for debate at the UBCM's annual 
convention in Victoria on Wednesday, Sept. 26, calls on "the 
appropriate government to decriminalize marijuana and research the 
regulation and taxation of marijuana" and calls current efforts to 
deal with pot through the police and court system "failed policy."

Of the six members of Kamloops city council at the UBCM conference, 
four told KTW they were planning to support the resolution in advance 
of the vote.

"The current policies are not working," said Nancy Bepple, who 
attended a decriminalization debate earlier this week, one that 
included a panel of legal and medical experts, including former B.C. 
attorney-general Geoff Plant.

Bepple said the experts pushing for decriminalization "had a much 
stronger argument" and she supports efforts to get organized crime 
out of the pot business.

However, she wants to see the resolution pass with a recommendation 
that the government also launch an anti-marijuana campaign "making it 
that there are so few places you can do it, and it's so unacceptable 
to do, that there's a big incentive not to use it."

She envisions the campaign as being similar to current government 
efforts to deter people from smoking.

"In the debate yesterday, everyone supported reducing drug use," she 
said. "So, the issue is more centred around trying to disrupt the 
violence and the criminal activity that comes out of it."

Donovan Cavers also plans to back the resolution.

"There's a lot of police resources that go into policing marijuana, 
when I believe that if you regulate it like alcohol, that it works 
out a lot better," he said, adding tax revenue from pot sales could 
go to help those with addictions issues.

"There are some good arguments on both sides but, ultimately, I think 
we spend a lot of money on kind of a losing battle," added Coun. 
Arjun Singh, who also plans to support the resolution.

However, Singh is not sure what effect the UBCM's decision will have 
on higher levels of government.

"I have no idea," he said. "I don't have any idea at all."

Cavers is more optimistic.

"It's a large group of elected officials and I think there's quite a 
bit of lobbying clout in the organization," he said.

Ken Christian said via email he will also support the resolution and 
supports "harm-reduction strategies in relation to marijuana under a 
regulatory and taxation scheme, rather than a criminal-law approach."

Mayor Peter Milobar said he has a meeting scheduled during the 
resolution session and hasn't given the issue much thought since he 
won't be voting on it.

Only one councillor said she wasn't leaning any particular way on the 
issue before the vote. Marg Spina planned to go into the resolution 
session with an open mind, but said attending the earlier debate has 
given her a lot of information to process.

"I think it's a very serious question. If people are going to use it, 
wouldn't it be smarter to tax it and the government can then deal 
with addiction problems in the health-care setting?" she asked.

Spina said the amount of money being spent on the marijuana trade in 
B.C. - from drug profits to legal fees - is staggering.

"And, you start to imagine, what if that money was going somewhere 
else, like health care?"

While she doesn't see the UBCM resolution convincing the federal 
government to make immediate changes to the legislation, Spina said 
if it passes, it will send a message about public opinion.

"It's taking the pulse," she said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom