Pubdate: Thu, 08 Aug 2013
Source: Whistler Question (CN BC)
Copyright: 2013, Whistler Printing & Publishing Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.whistlerquestion.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1034
Cited: Sensible BC: http://www.sensiblebc.ca

SENSIBLE BC STIRRING THE POT THE RIGHT WAY

Maybe you smoke a joint from time to time, maybe you don't. Maybe you 
think marijuana is a scourge of our society, maybe you don't.

But no matter which of these camps you fall into, it's hard to argue 
against the initiative currently being toured around the province by 
Sensible BC.

While we're unsure just how many Sea to Sky residents Sensible BC 
director Dana Larsen was able to recruit as canvassers to collect 
signatures on the Vancouver-based group's petition that has been 
accepted by Elections BC, we are guessing he found more than a few 
folks willing to help him out.

As the former editor of Cannabis Culture and an activist for weed in 
many capacities over the years, marijuana is something Larsen knows 
all about. You may also remember him from the federal election of 
2008, when he campaigned in the West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to 
Sky Country riding as an NDP candidate, only to withdraw before 
voting day after videos of him taking drugs surfaced online.

But before you dismiss Larsen as just another stoner, it's important 
to look closely at the proposed legislation his group is putting forward.

While decriminalizing simple possession within the province might be 
nothing more than a band-aid solution for a much larger issue, it 
would set the wheels in motion for more serious discussion about how 
we should approach a roach nationwide. It would also allow our police 
forces around the province to stop wasting their resources on people 
carrying a doobie in their pocket or a pipe in their purse. The 
Sensible BC-commissioned study touted by the group indicates that 
more than $10 million is spent on enforcement annually. That figure 
wouldn't disappear entirely by decriminalizing simple possession, but 
a least a good chunk of that total could probably be directed into 
more pressing police concerns.

Pot is big business in B.C. and in Canada, and allowing such a 
commodity to go unregulated and untaxed is a lost opportunity for 
taxpayers. As we're seeing in Washington and Colorado, the details of 
how marijuana becomes legal are difficult to work out, but isn't it 
better to have a complex issue to solve rather than a constant funnel 
of money to criminal interests?

Larsen's initiative is an ambitious one, and may be futile without 
finding support in all corners of the province. With a requirement to 
garner signatures from at least 10 per cent of all electors in every 
district, that poses a significant challenge, particularly in the 
far-flung northern areas of B.C.

Ultimately, it will require the efforts of Larsen's team of 
canvassers - which he hopes to be 5,000 strong - and a desire from 
B.C. residents to push the proposal towards a referendum. The premier 
may not be interested in having a discussion about pot's place, but 
she may not have a choice if voters side with Sensible BC.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom