Polls indicate that the majority of sa国际传媒 residents favour reforming laws governing the use of marijuana, but public polls haven鈥檛 exactly been the epitome of accuracy lately. A referendum would give a better idea of what British Columbians think about marijuana, but in the end, it would only be a straw vote because drug laws fall under federal jurisdiction.
It鈥檚 a bigger challenge to campaign for changes in federal law, but that鈥檚 the level where changes need to be made.
A group favouring the decriminalization of marijuana has received approval from Elections sa国际传媒 to proceed with a petition that would aim to make marijuana-law reform in sa国际传媒 the subject of a legislative vote or a referendum.
If successful, the effort by Sensible sa国际传媒 would result in an amendment to the Police Act that would prohibit the use of provincial police resources in enforcing current laws regarding simple possession of marijuana by adults.
The petition would also require that sa国际传媒 call on the federal government to repeal the prohibition on marijuana or allow the province to deal with marijuana in much the same way it does tobacco and alcohol.
Telling police to back off from charging people with simple possession doesn鈥檛 require a change in law, but in policy. The enforcement of the law in that regard is inconsistent in sa国际传媒 In jurisdictions policed by the RCMP, charges for simple possession of marijuana doubled in six years, but in Vancouver, the charges have dropped to nearly nothing. In Victoria, someone found with a small amount of marijuana is not usually charged.
There鈥檚 an element of unfairness in that inconsistency. When travelling from one country to another, a person should be aware of differing drug laws 鈥� failure to do so has cost some travellers dearly 鈥� but one shouldn鈥檛 expect to encounter that hazard by crossing a municipal or provincial boundary within sa国际传媒.
Pressure to change sa国际传媒鈥檚 marijuana laws doesn鈥檛 come just from a few dreamy-eyed potheads. Stop the Violence sa国际传媒 is a coalition that includes a wide array of respected legal, medical and public-health officials professionals whose experience and expertise tells them marijuana prohibition is a costly and ineffective war. They want to see marijuana legalized and strictly regulated, taking the production and distribution away from criminal elements and putting it under government control.
Legalizing marijuana should not be taken as a call to embrace it. While the plant clearly has medicinal potential that should be investigated, let鈥檚 not pretend it is a beneficial substance that does no harm. Research indicates otherwise. The law should take that into account, as it does with alcohol and tobacco.
The prohibition of alcohol drove the industry into the arms of organized crime. It made a lot of criminals wealthy without eliminating the evils of booze. The parallels with the marijuana trade are clear. You don鈥檛 have to approve of the use of marijuana to recognize the ineffectiveness and unfairness of current laws.
If the petition effort by Sensible sa国际传媒 is successful, it will at least be a signal to the Harper government that British Columbians want to see the law changed, and could be the impetus for other Canadians to make their voices heard.
