Pubdate: Tue, 30 Oct 2012
Source: Seattle Times (WA)
Copyright: 2012 The Seattle Times Company
Contact:  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/409
Authors: Evan Wood and David Bratzer

APPROVE I-502, LEGALIZE MARIJUANA AND CRIPPLE ORGANIZED CRIME

In B.C. Passing Initiative 502 and legalizing marijuana could be
one of the best ways to reduce gang violence in British Columbia,
according to guest columnists Evan Wood and David Bratzer.

ARE you aware that passing Initiative 502 is one of the best ways
to reduce international gang violence?

Like the violent cartels gripping Mexico, British Columbia is affected
by the organized-crime groups which control its huge marijuana
industry. These gangs produce and export BC Bud to American consumers,
including the 6.8 million residents of Washington state.

British Columbian gangs are competing for the revenue they generate
from the marijuana-export industry. Economists have estimated the
local market to be worth up to $7 billion annually. The fight for
these riches explains why Seattle's former top federal prosecutor,
John McKay, has said, "British Columbia-based gangs smuggling
high-grade pot are the dominant organized crime in the Northwest."

In our roles as a public-health physician and a police officer, we
have spent most of our careers at the forefront of anti-drug efforts
in British Columbia. We have witnessed the bloody aftermath of
shootings, stabbings and other violent confrontations that are common
in British Columbia's marijuana industry.

The level of violence that is now accepted as the new normal in
British Columbia is staggering. In 2009 alone, there were no fewer
than 276 incidents of drive-by shootings in the province. Local police
described these shootings as often occurring "without regard for
public safety."

While Canadian laws allow for the use of medical marijuana, possession
of the drug for recreational use, even in small amounts, remains
illegal. We do not condone illicit-drug use, but our experiences
providing medical treatment in hospital-emergency rooms and
investigating gang activity have galvanized our interest in reducing
violence connected to the illegal-marijuana trade.

By every measure, marijuana prohibition has failed to achieve its
stated objectives. For example, the U.S. National Institutes of Health
concluded that over the last 30 years of marijuana prohibition the
drug has remained "almost universally available to American
12th-graders," with between 80 percent and 90 percent consistently
saying the drug is "very easy" or "fairly easy" to obtain.

U.S. government data also shows that, since 1990, the potency of
marijuana has increased by 145 percent and the price has decreased by
58 percent, suggesting that the market for marijuana has become
oversaturated. In short, marijuana has become more accessible to young
people today than alcohol and tobacco.

Action is long overdue, but Canadian lawmakers have been slow to
consider cannabis-policy reform, citing the possibility of retribution
from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and the White House. In this
context, Canadians have taken a great interest in Initiative 502 and
the real likelihood that Washington state will vote to tax and
regulate the adult use of marijuana.

 From a public-health and community-safety perspective, since
marijuana remains illegal in Canada, Initiative 502 has the potential
to take away local organized crime's biggest cash cow.

Starving the local marijuana-industry gangs could have the same impact
as ending Prohibition had on Al Capone and others.

In the face of corruption, violence and widespread disrespect for the
law, British Columbia voted to repeal alcohol prohibition in 1920.
This set an example for Washington state, which followed suit in 1932.
With respect to the harms of anti-cannabis laws, Washington state
voters could set an example for Canada, while also ending a system
where demand for cannabis directly contributes to organized crime and
gang violence.

We are hesitant to intrude on the affairs of another nation, yet so
many lives are at stake. Initiative 502 is a rare opportunity for the
citizens of Washington state to demonstrate international leadership
in the field of justice reform. Your northern neighbor, and indeed the
entire world, awaits your historic decision.

Dr. Evan Wood, left, is a professor of medicine at the University of
British Columbia and founder of Stop the Violence BC. David Bratzer is
a Canadian police officer who serves on the board of Law Enforcement
Against Prohibition. His personal views do not represent those of his
employer.
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