Pubdate: Tue, 08 Oct 2013
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2013 The Vancouver Sun
Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Barbara Yaffe
Cited: Sensible BC: http://www.sensiblebc.ca

IS PROHIBITION OF CANNABIS WORTH THE COST?

Sensible B.C. doesn't think so, and is seeking a referendum on 
decriminalization that asks our taxpaying residents to weigh in on the issue

If B.C. taxpayers are smart, they will lend their support to an 
ongoing campaign to decriminalizing cannabis use.

The issue at hand is not about approving of the use of cannabis. Nor 
is it about whether people believe criminal sanctions should be doled 
out to users.

Such questions are best left to criminologists and ethicists.

Rather, taxpayers need to consider whether the existing prohibition 
has benefits sufficient to justify its hefty enforcement costs, as 
well as the whack of tax cash lost in the absence of a legal tax-and 
licensing system.

The truth is, whether the substance is prohibited or legalized, many 
people - some 14 per cent of British Columbians, 12 per cent of 
Canadians - will keep right on toking up.

While even more may become users if pot is decriminalized, that could 
perhaps be controlled through public awareness campaigns, of the sort 
that have proven effective against tobacco use.

The issue for most people should come down to this: What is to be 
gained from changes flowing from a successful referendum campaign? 
And the answer to that is all about money.

Financial numbers related to decriminalization tend to be somewhat 
speculative because legalization is in its infancy in North America 
and revenue models have yet to be established.

But according to available data, producing a gram of marijuana costs 
33 cents (under a government-sponsored setup), while retailing and 
distribution costs 10 cents. Total: 43 cents per gram.

Illegal marijuana fetches roughly $10 a gram on the street. If the 
price is kept at that level in a decriminalized environment, there is 
plenty of scope between production cost and sale price for heaps of 
government revenue.

At their convention last January, B.C.'s federal Liberals predicted 
Canadian governments could rake in more than $4 billion a year in 
revenue if marijuana were legalized, although some national estimates 
go as high as $7.5 billion.

A study by B.C. academics, published a year ago in the International 
Journal of Drug Policy, puts the annual value of B.C.'s cannabis 
trade at between $443 million and $564 million, with potential for 
the province to scoop $2.5 billion over five years in taxes and 
licence fees for growers.

Given the reputed potency of B.C. bud, it is also possible that a 
lucrative export industry might develop.

Grow operations aren't especially labour intensive and the B.C. 
Liquor Control Branch could distribute the product, but other 
opportunities would sprout for entrepreneurs - who would be 
legitimate businesspeople instead of crooks.

The term ganjapreneur has been coined to describe these folks. Pot is 
being legally marketed in creative ways - in Colorado, for example, 
where Dixie Elixirs produces everything from soft drinks to truffles 
infused with marijuana.

And, of course, enforcement costs would be saved. Sensible B.C. 
reports 1,200 British Columbians were convicted of possession in 
2011, costing taxpayers here $10.5 million. Even Canada's police 
forces are now advocating a protocol of fines be introduced to save 
the fuss and bother of criminally charging pot users.

Right now, the situation in B.C. - where cannabis is grown and 
distributed under the table to the great advantage of the criminals - 
is not yielding a whole lot of benefit to the province. At least not 
enough to justify the perpetuation of the current rules.

And most observers agree, criminalization is not significantly 
discouraging cannabis use.

So, as Sensible B.C. gathers signatures on its petition to trigger a 
decriminalization referendum - needing support from 10 per cent of 
voters in 85 provincial ridings by Dec. 5 - folks should be 
pragmatic, and apply a cost/benefit analysis.

Support then becomes a slam dunk.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom