Pubdate: Thu, 25 Jul 2013
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2013 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact: http://www2.canada.com/theprovince/letters.html
Website: http://www.theprovince.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Cited: Sensible BC: http://www.sensiblebc.ca

VOTERS ARE WAY AHEAD OF POLITICIANS ON POT

Sensible B.C. - a group pushing for the legalization of marijuana - 
wants to use B.C.'s referendum legislation to force a vote on the 
decriminalization of pot in B.C. In September, it will begin its 
campaign, hoping to collect signatures of the required 10 per cent of 
voters in all 85 ridings to force a vote.

The group wants to amend the B.C. Police Act with a "Sensible 
Policing Act" that will bar police officers from investigating simple 
possession of marijuana. The second part of the proposed act calls on 
Ottawa to "repeal cannabis prohibition" and to give the B.C. 
government the right to tax and regulate pot.

If current polls that suggest about 70 per cent of British Columbians 
oppose the current pot laws are true, Sensible B.C. should have no 
problem achieving its goal of forcing a referendum. This would be 
good. For too long, too many politicians have been cowards on the 
issue while too many otherwise upstanding citizens have been harmed 
by pot-possession charges. Most people believe now that marijuana use 
should be a private decision and that governments are doing more harm 
than good in continuing their failed policy of prohibition. A 
successful referendum would force politicians' hands and lead 
government to begin making money from marijuana instead of losing 
endless tax dollars trying to ban it.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom