Pubdate: Fri, 28 Sep 2012
Source: Richmond News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2012, Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc.
Contact:  http://www.richmond-news.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1244

DECRIMINALIZE CANNABIS

On Wednesday, the province's municipal leaders voted on a resolution 
calling for the decriminalization of marijuana. They should not only 
pass this motion, but resolve to lobby other communities across the 
country to do the same.

Canada's decades-long, failed effort to stamp out cannabis has come 
at enormous cost, and much of that cost has been borne by municipalities.

Federal drug laws have given rise to a multi-billion-dollar industry 
that is the lifeblood of organized crime. The investigation of that 
activity, and the hopeless efforts to curb rampant production, 
distribution and use of the drug, frequently fall to police forces 
that are under contract to towns and cities. It would be in the 
interests of those communities - and, by extension, of their 
taxpayers - to end this untenable situation.

In the lead up to the Union of B.C. Municipalities' vote, critics 
have argued that the resolution misses the point. The vast majority 
of the province's cannabis is sold in the United States, after all, 
meaning that decriminalization here would do nothing to stem the 
illegal flow of drugs across the border. This argument is spurious.

Legal, regulated producers of marijuana wouldn't shoot each other any 
more than the legal producers of alcohol and cigarettes do. People 
would still attempt to smuggle the drug into America, true, but at 
that point, frankly, it would be a problem for the U.S. border patrol 
- - and no worse a problem than they have now.

Our municipalities should show some leadership on this issue and make 
the move that makes sense.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom