Pubdate: Wed, 17 Jul 2013
Source: Revelstoke Times Review (CN BC)
Copyright: 2013 Black Press
Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/GUUzNSgH
Website: http://drugsense.org/url/ujMTHNZu
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2139
Author: Tom Fletcher
Referenced: Initiative Petition to Amend the Police Act: 
http://www3.elections.bc.ca/index.php/referenda-recall-initiative/initiative/ip-2013-001/

B.C. MARIJUANA PETITION GETS GREEN LIGHT

VICTORIA - Elections BC has given approval in principle to marijuana 
activist Dana Larsen's bid to lead a petition drive for 
de-criminalizing marijuana possession.

Larsen has proposed that B.C. go around the federal law with a 
"Sensible Policing Act" that would disallow the use of B.C. police 
resources to prosecute simple possession of small amounts of pot. As 
of Sept. 9, Larsen will be allowed to begin collecting signatures 
referendum similar to that used to reverse the harmonized sales tax.

Individuals and groups have until Aug. 12 to register with Elections 
BC to oppose the initiative, run ads for or against the petition or 
collect signatures.

Larsen, who was involved with the B.C. Marijuana Party before running 
for the leadership of the B.C. NDP in 2011, has worked for the last 
year to build support for what he calls Sensible BC. His organization 
will have 90 days from Sept. 9 to collect signatures from 10 per cent 
of registered provincial voters in each of B.C.'s 85 electoral districts.

If that threshold is reached, Elections BC would hold a province-wide 
initiative vote, likely by mail as was done to repeal the HST.

Decriminalizing pot has received mainstream support in recent years, 
including a narrow majority vote at the 2012 Union of B.C. 
Municipalities convention.

In a debate at that convention in Victoria last September, former 
B.C. Liberal attorney general Geoff Plant advocated for loosening 
marijuana laws, as has since been done in the U.S. states of 
Washington and Colorado.

The idea was opposed by criminologist Darryl Plecas, who was elected 
B.C. Liberal MLA for Abbotsford South in the May provincial election.

Larsen has had a colourful career, including editor of 
Vancouver-based Cannabis Culture magazine and co-founder of the 
Vancouver Seed Bank, which has sold seeds for marijuana, poppies, 
peyote and coca.

Larsen resigned as an NDP candidate in the 2008 federal election, 
after videos surfaced showing his drug use a decade earlier.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom