Pubdate: Thu, 21 Nov 2013
Source: Abbotsford Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2013 The Abbotsford Times
Contact:  http://www.abbotsfordtimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1009
Cited: Sensible BC: http://www.sensiblebc.ca/

TIME RUNNING OUT ON SENSIBLE BC'S REFERENDUM PUSH

Time is running out in Sensible BC's effort to force a referendum on
the decriminalization of marijuana possession in B.C. Timing,
organization and even the weather have been used to explain why the
campaign is only two thirds of the way to its goal with a looming Dec.
5 deadline.

Canvassers took a while to get their "cannabus" campaign rolling
across the province and have had modest success spreading their
message through mainstream channels, but the campaign's lack of spark
essentially comes down to an unmotivated public. Fuelled by an
electorate's anger with former B.C. Liberal Premier Gordon Campbell,
the HST initiative petition roared out of the gate and never slowed
down.

As if the feeling of betrayal wasn't enough to ensure victory, the
pesky HST charged to consumers' purchases served as a dependable reminder.

Voters got a taste of the HST whenever they bought a newspaper, snack
foods, school supplies, rode a taxi, went to the theatre or paid their
monthly cable bill. Those three capital letters were everywhere.

Though decriminalization of marijuana may not be top of mind in most
B.C. communities, ever-increasing policing and judicial costs suggest
it should be.

A conservative estimate of the 2011 cost to create 16,578 police
reports of marijuana possession and charge 3,774 individuals with the
offence in B.C. cost approximately $10 million.

With the number of possession charges predicted to rise due to the
feds' Safe Streets and Communities Act, Simon Fraser University
criminologist Neil Boyd suggests costs could double within five years.

Nationally, enforcement costs are anywhere between $300 and $500
million, depending on who does the math.

An Angus Reid poll earlier this year found that 75 per cent of British
Columbian respondents support the decriminalization, regulation and
taxation of marijuana.

Now the trick is to turn that sentiment into a signature on a petition
by Dec. 5. Even if the campaign does not force a referendum, at least
the politicians will be inhaling pungent public opinion on the topic
in years to come.
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MAP posted-by: Matt