Stop the Violence BC

B.C.’s top public health doctors join call for ending marijuana prohibition Polling results show most British Columbians believe alcohol more harmful than cannabis December 22, 2011 [Vancouver, Canada] – Following Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s recent rejection of marijuana law reform, Stop the Violence BC has released a new report that audits government funded surveillance systems [...]

This backgrounder summarizes the key points raised in How not to protect community health and safety, the second report from the Stop the Violence BC Coalition. This backgrounder briefly outlines the failure of prohibition to reduce availability or potency of cannabis and suggests some policy alternatives to better protect community health and safety.  

Accompanying the report, Stop the Violence BC released polling data from Angus Reid that demonstrates that the majority of British Columbians: •    disagree that regular marijuana use is more harmful than regular alcohol use (59%) •    disagree with the statement that marijuana is a dangerous and addictive drug (54%) •    do not believe that marijuana [...]

This second report focuses on the impact of drug law enforcement on cannabis availability and the expansion of organized crime in BC. The report recognizes that cannabis prohibition laws are ineffective when it comes to decreasing rates of availability and price, and suggests ways to better protect community health and safety. //