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Stop the Violence BC endorses the Sensible BC campaign

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Stop the Violence BC has long argued that decriminalization is an insufficient policy response when it comes to addressing the range of public health and safety concerns associated with cannabis prohibition. That said, it is the position of the Stop the Violence BC steering committee that decriminalization stands to minimize a variety of pressing social and economic concerns.*

The legislation tabled by Sensible BC (described below) is designed as a first step towards taxation and regulation of cannabis for recreational use by adults and it is on that basis that Stop the Violence BC is pleased to endorse their campaign.

Stop the Violence BC encourages all of our supporters to consider working with the Sensible BC team to help people understand that the campaign does have a mechanism through which it is pushing for taxation and regulation and that decriminalization is just the first step.

For more information about Sensible BC or to participate in their campaign for a marijuana referendum, please visit www.sensiblebc.ca.

*PLEASE NOTE: Stop the Violence BC’s endorsement may not reflect the personal views of all our coalition members.

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The following summary is taken from the Sensible BC website. To review the entire legislation, please click here.

PART ONE: Decriminalize marijuana possession

The first part of the Sensible Policing Act is an amendment to the BC Police Act, which redirects all police in the province from using any police resources, including member time, on investigations, searches, seizures, citations, arrests or detentions related solely to simple possession of cannabis.

This section applies to all police in the province, essentially decriminalizing the simple possession of cannabis in BC. It doesn’t impact on any of the laws around trafficking, possession for the purposes of trafficking, or cultivation.

To deal with minors, the Sensible Policing Act also adds cannabis to the section of the BC Liquor Control Act which covers minors in possession of alcohol. This will enable a police officer to confiscate cannabis from a minor, in exactly the same manner and with the same penalties as for alcohol.

PART TWO: Work towards legal regulation

The second part of the Sensible Policing Act formally calls upon the federal government to repeal cannabis prohibition by removing cannabis from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, or to give British Columbia a “Section 56” exemption, so that our province can start legally taxing and regulating cannabis, using lessons learned from alcohol and tobacco.

This section also mandates the provincial government to launch a public commission, which will hold hearings to study and recommend the specific rules needed for the province to implement a legally regulated cannabis system once the federal government allows it.

 

B.C. political parties respond to call for support of legalized marijuana trial

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Four major political parties differ on backing of research study despite poll demonstrating overwhelming public support in favour

Related materials: Overview of party responses, full text of party responses, original questionnaire, polling data, FAQs, PDF of press release

Vancouver, BC [May 3, 2013] — Three of B.C.’s major political parties have responded to a questionnaire asking whether they would oppose a small-scale research trial to evaluate the taxation and regulation of adult cannabis use.

The questionnaire was issued by Stop the Violence BC (STVBC), a coalition of law enforcement officials, legal experts, public health officials and academic experts advocating for a research trial to investigate whether the taxation and strict regulation of adult marijuana use could reduce profits to organized crime and better prevent youth access to the drug.

When asked whether they would prevent a federally and ethically approved study of this nature, both the BC NDP and the Green Party of BC indicated their support of the evaluation, while the BC Liberals responded that a research trial would have to be initiated by the federal government and only then would they give the proposal “serious consideration.” The BC Conservatives chose not respond to the questionnaire.

“It’s encouraging to see leading political parties are open to investigating alternatives to cannabis prohibition,” said Randie Long, a member of STVBC and former Federal Prosecutor. “As a federal prosecutor who has witnessed the ineffectiveness and serious harms resulting from the criminal justice approach to cannabis control, I believe politicians across jurisdictions should be actively searching for alternatives.”

The questionnaire was sent to the parties on April 18 following the release of an Angus Reid poll showing that British Columbians overwhelmingly support the province undertaking a pilot study to evaluate the taxation and regulation of adult cannabis use. The survey, conducted between April 8 and 9, found that 73 per cent of British Columbians support a B.C. research trial conducted by local experts and health scientists.

“To suggest the federal government would have to initiate a research trial is a completely inaccurate statement,” said Kash Heed, a longtime law enforcement official and former MLA for Vancouver-Fraserview in reference to the Liberal Party’s response. “Some of our political leaders continue to bury their heads in the sand instead of taking decisive leadership. With all the grow ops and prohibition-related violence that is ongoing in B.C. communities, provincial politicians cannot continue to bury their heads in the sand and pass the buck to the federal government.”

In response to applications from B.C. researchers, the federal government has recently provided research exemptions that allow British Columbian studies on the impacts of heroin prescription in the Downtown Eastside, as well as a trial of prescription MDMA (ecstasy) for post-traumatic stress disorder.

“Given the enormous costs and unintended consequences of cannabis prohibition, all political leaders should be endorsing carefully controlled assessments of alternative approaches,” said Dr. Evan Wood, founder of STVBC and Canadian Research Chair in Inner City Medicine at UBC. “For too long cannabis prohibition has endangered public health and safety by allowing organized criminals to control the industry. Especially now that Washington State has moved to tax and regulate adult cannabis use, B.C. must begin to research these types of alternatives.”

The proposed research trial is presently being designed, and initial proposals suggest it could operate with the objectives of improving community health and safety by: reducing unsafe and illegal grow ops through sanctioned cannabis producers, redirecting organized crime profits to fund addiction treatment and other underfunded health and social programs, and carefully assess for potential negative consequences for trial participants and the local community.

For a full listing of coalition members and to learn more about the coalition, please visit www.stoptheviolencebc.org

For more information about Stop the Violence BC or to interview a coalition member, please contact:

Bridgitte Anderson
c. 604.761.8048
e. [email protected]

 

New Study Shows Potential Domestic Tax Revenue at $2.5 billion over next 5 years

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British Columbia’s cannabis market could generate more than $2.5 billion in tax revenue over next five years

New study challenges argument that BC’s cannabis market cannot be taxed

Vancouver, B.C. [November 20, 2012] — Based on current consumption patterns, British Columbia’s domestic cannabis market could be worth more than $500-million annually, according to a new study by a coalition of researchers from the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University.

Downloads: Report, Polling Data, Infographic

The study, published this month in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Drug Policy, is the first to estimate the size of B.C.’s domestically consumed cannabis market using provincial surveillance data. Researchers found that the estimated retail expenditure on cannabis by British Columbians was approximately $443-million to $564-million annually. The study concludes that regulating the provincial cannabis market could provide government with approximately $2.5 billion in tax and licensing revenues over the next five years.

“If you begin to stand back and calculate just how much potential tax revenue is instead going to fuel organized crime, it really highlights how we need to start questioning our current approach,” said Dr. Evan Wood, senior author of the study and Canada Research Chair in Inner City Medicine at UBC. “The results demonstrate how cannabis is such a highly lucrative and reliable source of income for organized crime, and that a regulated system in B.C. could generate significant tax revenue for services that actually address community health and safety.”

Provincial policing agencies estimate that 85% of the cannabis market in B.C. is currently controlled by organized crime groups. Data on electrical power usage and from police raids suggest that the number of cannabis grow operations in the province nearly doubled between 2003 and 2010, further demonstrating the increasing involvement of organized crime groups in the domestic production and distribution of cannabis. This increase in gang activity has also corresponded with rising gang violence in the province. In 2009, the RCMP reported 276 incidents of drive-by shootings in B.C.

“The enormity of B.C.’s illegal cannabis market demonstrates the failure of law enforcement efforts to rein in the illegal cannabis trade,” said Neil Boyd, Professor, School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University. “B.C.’s cannabis prohibition laws have proven to be ineffective, instead fueling gang activity and violence in communities throughout the province and across our borders.”

U.S. ballot measures provide model for taxation and regulation of cannabis in B.C.
Two U.S. states, Washington and Colorado, recently passed ballot measures approving the legalization of cannabis for adult use under a strictly regulated system. In Washington, voters approved Initiative 502, which creates a 25% tax on the sale of cannabis, 55% of which would be directed to health care, 25% for drug abuse treatment and medication, 1% for cannabis-related research and the remaining 19% directed to general revenue. Estimates have suggested that the revenue generated under this system could exceed $500-million annually, potentially more than state revenues generated by either tobacco or alcohol.

A previously unreleased Angus Reid poll asked British Columbians how they would allocate funds under a provincial system taxing and regulating the adult use of cannabis.

  • 31% of British Columbians believe the most effective way to allocate funds derived from cannabis tax revenue would be toward drug prevention and addiction treatment
  • Another 31% would allocate cannabis tax revenue to health care
  • 12% would allocate funds to drug law enforcement

The Angus Reid poll was commissioned by Stop the Violence BC (STVBC), a coalition of academic, legal, law enforcement and health experts concerned about the links between cannabis prohibition in B.C. and the growth of organized crime and related violence in the province. Since launching a year ago, STVBC has received high-profile endorsements from across the law enforcement, public health and political sectors, including the Health Officers Council of B.C., four former mayors of Vancouver and four former B.C. attorneys general.

“B.C.’s law enforcement efforts have proven to be completely ineffective at reducing production and availability of cannabis to our youth, and have instead fueled gang activity and violence in communities throughout the province,” said Ujjal Dosanjh, B.C.’s attorney general from 1995 to 2000 and premier from 2000 to 2001. “When you look at the enormous potential to save on policing costs, raise government revenue and wage economic war on organized crime, you understand why U.S. states have recently taken the taxation and regulation approach.”

Dan Werb, lead author of the study and co-founder of the International Centre for Science in Drug Policy, said that while the recent ballot measures in the U.S. could impact the large export market of B.C. cannabis, the study shows that there will remain a significant domestic revenue stream that will continue to fuel organized crime across the province regardless of changes south of the border.

“We now know the degree to which prohibition has made the cannabis trade lucrative for gangs and, in turn, made our communities less safe,” Werb said. “From a public health perspective, we also know that making cannabis illegal has not achieved its stated objectives of limiting supply or impacting the level of cannabis use, particularly among young people. The sheer volume of the cannabis industry in B.C. suggests that our system of cannabis control has failed and that alternatives should be explored.”

  • To read the full paper, titled Estimating the economic value of British Columbia’s domestic cannabis market: Implications for provincial cannabis policy, please visit here.
  • To view the Angus Reid polling data, please visit here.

 

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About Stop the Violence BC

Stop the Violence BC is a coalition of law enforcement officials, legal experts, public health officials and academic experts from the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, University of Victoria, and the University of Northern BC. Coalition members have come together to engage all British Columbians in a discussion aimed at developing and implementing marijuana-related policies that improve public health while reducing social harms, including violent crime.

For a full listing of coalition members and to learn more about the coalition, please visit www.stoptheviolencebc.org/coalition-members/ .

Media: to speak with a member of the Stop the Violence BC Coalition, please contact:

Kevin Hollett
BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
604 682 2344 ext. 66536
[email protected]

Sunny McKechnie
250 816 7610
[email protected]

Public Opinion Reaches Tipping Point

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Increasing Majority of British Columbians Support Ending Cannabis Prohibition – Public Opinion Reaches Tipping Point

New poll shows 75% support taxation and regulation of cannabis; Public Health Association of BC latest to join Stop the Violence BC coalition

Vancouver, B.C. [November 1, 2012] — A new Angus Reid poll released today overwhelmingly shows that British Columbians favour moving away from cannabis prohibition toward a system of regulation and taxation, and that lawmakers continue to lag far behind public opinion on revamping cannabis laws in B.C.

DOWNLOADS: Report, Polling Data

The survey, conducted between October 22 and 24, found that 75% of B.C. respondents support the taxation and regulation of cannabis over chasing and arresting cannabis producers and sellers, a jump of six percentage points from just one year ago.

“These results reveal a quite remarkable and growing dissatisfaction among British Columbians with the status quo and an eagerness for policymakers to pursue an entirely new approach to cannabis policy,” said Mario Canseco, Vice President, Angus Reid Public Opinion. “These beliefs cut across political, social and regional lines. I can’t think of any other issue where the laws on the books are inconsistent with the wishes of three-quarters of British Columbians.”

The poll results come a year after a similar Angus Reid survey, and demonstrate increasing public opinion that cannabis prohibition in B.C. has been ineffective and caused significant social harms and public safety issues, such as increased organized crime, gang violence and illegal marijuana grow ops.

Key Angus Reid poll data:

  • Only 14% of British Columbians believe possession of a marijuana cigarette should lead to a criminal record, down from 20% one year ago
  • 75% support the taxation and regulation of cannabis over chasing and arresting cannabis producers and sellers, an increase of six percentage points from 2011
  • 74% would be comfortable living in a society where adult cannabis consumption was taxed and legally regulated under a public health framework, an increase of four percentage points from last year
  • At 62%, fewer BC residents support decriminalizing marijuana use than the proportion that support outright taxation and regulation

The poll surveyed 799 respondents in B.C. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

The Angus Reid survey was released by Stop the Violence BC (STVBC), a growing coalition of academic, legal, law enforcement and health experts calling for the reform of cannabis laws to reduce the unintended harms attributable to the illegal cannabis trade, including the growth of organized crime and gang violence. A STVBC report marking the achievements during the year since the coalition’s launch, entitled BC Cannabis Policy: The time for leadership is now, was released in tandem with the polling results.

“From a scientific and public safety perspective, making cannabis illegal has clearly been an expensive and harmful failure,” said Dr. Evan Wood, founder of Stop the Violence BC and Canada Research Chair in Inner City Medicine at UBC. “With 75% of British Columbians supporting change, and the status quo contributing to increasing harms in B.C. communities, it is absolutely time for politicians to catch up with the public.”

PHABC latest to join call for ending cannabis prohibition

Along with the release of the report and polling data, the Public Health Association of BC (PHABC) became the latest prominent expert body to endorse the Stop the Violence BC campaign. PHABC is a voluntary, non-profit, non-government organization comprised of B.C.’s public health leaders whose mission is to preserve and promote the public’s health.

“From a public health perspective, we urgently need to research alternatives to our current approach to cannabis which has clearly failed to protect public health and has actually resulted in substantial individual and community harms,” said Dr. Marjorie MacDonald, President of PHABC. “Whether it be the organized crime concerns, the free and easy availability of marijuana that exists under prohibition, the life altering negative consequences of a criminal record for an otherwise law abiding young person or simply the enormous waste of public resources – all are reasons to reform this failed policy. Strict regulation, guided by proven public health principles, is clearly the logical way forward.”

Since launching a year ago, STVBC has received many high-profile endorsements from across the law enforcement, public health and political sectors, including the Health Officers Council of BC, four former mayors of Vancouver and four former B.C. attorneys general. The PHABC endorsement follows noteworthy support from eight current B.C. mayors and the passing in September of a Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) resolution calling for research into the taxation and regulation of cannabis.

A call for political leadership

In its report, STVBC highlights the discordance between government policy in B.C. and the recommendations of leading British Columbian experts and the wishes of the public. The report urges provincial politicians to demonstrate their leadership by telling British Columbians that they support researching a new approach involving a pilot study of the strict regulation and taxation of adult cannabis use under a public health framework.

“Our politicians are clearly out of step with public opinion when it comes to cannabis policy,” said Kash Heed, MLA for Vancouver-Fraserview

  • and one of the most recent politicians to publicly endorse STVBC. “We can’t continue to ignore the remarkable consensus among the public. It’s time for the political leaders at all levels of government to act on the overwhelming evidence linking cannabis prohibition to organized crime and gang violence and to support researching alternatives.”

    B.C. now risks falling behind its U.S. neighbours when it comes to cannabis prohibition. Next week, three states will vote on ballot measures to approve the taxation and regulation of adult marijuana use, including Washington State, where voters will vote on Initiative 502. STVBC coalition members argued this week in a Seattle Times op-ed that if Initiative 502 is passed, it could help cripple B.C.’s gangs.

    STVBC is encouraging policymakers at all levels of government to contact them with any questions about how B.C. could support a new approach to cannabis policy.

  • For polling summary, including full results from 2011 and 2012, please click here.
  • For a copy of the STVBC year in review report, entitled BC Cannabis Policy: The time for leadership is now, please click here.

    • – 30 –

    About Stop the Violence BC

    Stop the Violence BC is a coalition of law enforcement officials, legal experts, public health officials and academic experts from the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, University of Victoria and the University of Northern BC. Coalition members have come together to engage all British Columbians in a discussion aimed at developing and implementing cannabis-related policies that improve public health while reducing social harms, including violent crime. For a listing of coalition members and to learn more about the coalition, please visit www.stoptheviolencebc.org/about-us.

    About Angus Reid Public Opinion

    Angus Reid Public Opinion is the Public Affairs practice of Vision Critical headed by Dr. Angus Reid: an industry visionary who has spent more than four decades asking questions to figure out what people feel, how they think and who they will vote for.

    Media: to speak to a member of the Stop the Violence BC coalition, please contact:

    Kevin Hollett
    604 682 2344 ext 66536
    [email protected]

    Sunny McKechnie
    250 816 7610
    [email protected]

    Kash Heed calls for the regulation and taxation of marijuana

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    BC MLA speaks out against marijuana prohibition in short film, joins Stop the Violence BC

    CLICK HERE FOR THE FILM

    Vancouver, BC [October 18, 2012] — Kash Heed, a long-time law enforcement official and MLA, is calling for the legalization and taxation of cannabis to better protect communities and reduce related organized crime activity resulting from the illegal marijuana trade.

    In a video and written statement released today, Kash Heed shared his experiences about the devastating consequences of cannabis prohibition, based on his 31 years in law enforcement as a beat cop, a police chief, and head of both the Vancouver Police Department Drug Unit and Indo-Canadian Gang Violence Task Force.

    “In the early 1990s, I began to fully recognize the futility and the social, economic and public health costs of continuing marijuana prohibition,” wrote Heed in the statement. “And I came to one inescapable conclusion—cannabis prohibition fuels gang violence in B.C. In fact, costly law enforcement efforts have only served to drive the marijuana industry deeper into the hands of violent organized crime groups.”

    In his statement, Heed announced that he is joining Stop the Violence BC (STVBC), a coalition of academic, legal, law enforcement and health experts, and its campaign to reform cannabis laws to reduce the harms associated with the illegal cannabis trade, including gang violence. He joins a growing list of endorsements that includes a coalition of B.C. mayors, the Health Officers Council of B.C., four former mayors of Vancouver and former B.C. attorneys general. His statement follows the passing last month of a Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) resolution calling for the decriminalization of cannabis.

    “It shows real political courage that Kash Heed, as a sitting member of a provincial legislature, has decided to speak out against these failed laws,” said Geoff Plant, who served as B.C. attorney general from 2001 to 2005. “It’s time for the rest of our political leaders to follow his lead and act on the overwhelming evidence linking marijuana prohibition to organized crime and gang violence.”

    Kash Heed is the MLA for Vancouver-Fraserview. He is urging his current and former colleagues to improve community health and safety by overturning marijuana prohibition.

    “I plan to use my remaining time in office to reach out to our provincial leaders and ensure that replacing cannabis prohibition with a more effective public health and safety strategy becomes a part of the public debate in the next provincial election,” said Heed. “Despite the effort to pass the buck to the federal government, this is a provincial issue—organized crime has been fuelled by B.C.’s failed marijuana policies, leading to gang violence, destructive grow-ops and easy access to marijuana for youth in each and every one of our communities.”

    The video was produced and directed by Pete McCormack, an award winning filmmaker based in Vancouver.

    “Evidence against marijuana prohibition is staggering: police fight impossible odds and the current approach is hypocritical, a tax-paying sinkhole that causes unintentional yet very real collateral damage and violence. And for what?” said McCormack. “To get the chance to interview Kash Heed, who has been right there in it, was inspiring to me as a filmmaker. If this video can influence other politicians’ and inspire contemporary drug policies, that would be amazing.”

    • Media can download the Kash Heed video here.
    • Watch the video here.
    • Read the full Kash Heed statement here.

    – 30 –

    About Stop the Violence BC

    Stop the Violence BC is a coalition of law enforcement officials, legal experts, public health officials and academic experts from the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, University of Victoria and the University of Northern BC. Coalition members have come together to engage all British Columbians in a discussion aimed at developing and implementing marijuana-related policies that improve public health while reducing social harms, including violent crime. For a full listing of coalition members and to learn more about the coalition, please click here.

    For more information about Stop the Violence BC or to interview a coalition member, please contact:

    Kevin Hollett
    604 682 2344 ext 66536
    [email protected]

    UBCM passes resolution to decriminalize cannabis, study regulation and taxation

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    B.C.’s mayors and councilors recognize that marijuana prohibition fuels organized crime

    Vancouver, BC [September 26, 2012]—The Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) voted today in favour of a resolution calling for the decriminalization of cannabis at its annual convention.

    Resolution A5, brought forward to the annual convention by the municipality of Metchosin, calls for UBCM to lobby the appropriate level of government to decriminalize cannabis and research its regulation and taxation.

    “For too long our communities have borne the brunt of the harmful consequences of cannabis prohibition, from increased gang violence on our streets to enormous costs of enforcing a thoroughly discredited policy,” said Metchosin mayor John Ranns. “This vote result signals that it is time for our senior levels of government to listen to what the public and now our municipal leaders are saying: cannabis prohibition has been a failure.”

    With the passing of the resolution, UBCM joins a growing chorus of high profile British Columbians calling for the end to cannabis prohibition, including eight current B.C. mayors, the Health Officers Council of B.C., four former mayors of Vancouver, and four former B.C. attorneys general.

    “Today’s vote to support the decriminalization of cannabis and research its regulation and taxation reflects our commitment as municipal leaders to fiscal discipline and community health and safety,” said City of North Vancouver Mayor Darrell Mussatto, whose council passed a motion supporting the regulation of cannabis this past April. “Easy access to cannabis for our youth, grow-ops that fuel organized crime in our communities and the growing costs of enforcing failed marijuana policies are ample reason to re-examine cannabis prohibition.”

    The vote followed a marijuana decriminalization debate that opened the UBCM convention on Monday. Among those speaking was Dr. Evan Wood, co-director of the Urban Health Research Initiative at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and founder of Stop the Violence BC, a coalition of academic, legal, law enforcement and health experts campaigning to reform cannabis laws to reduce the harms associated with the illegal cannabis trade, including gang violence.

    “Prohibition has not achieved its stated objectives to reduce the demand for and supply of cannabis. Instead, current laws have resulted in negative social and economic consequences at the municipal and provincial level,” said Dr. Wood. “I commend our municipal representatives for showing leadership in taking steps towards changing a policy that has clearly failed to protect the health and safety of our communities.”

    Dr. Wood added that the call to research the regulation and taxation of cannabis is a key part of the UBCM resolution.

    “We believe that deregulation is only the first step in working towards a strictly regulated, taxed market for adult marijuana use,” he said. “Research to date indicates that a system of strict regulation will best impede the illegal market for marijuana and combat the organized crime gangs that profit from it.”

    – 30 –

    About Stop the Violence BC
    Stop the Violence BC is a coalition of law enforcement officials, legal experts, public health officials and academic experts from the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, University of Victoria and the University of Northern BC. Coalition members have come together to engage all British Columbians in a discussion aimed at developing and implementing marijuana-related policies that improve public health while reducing social harms, including violent crime.

    For a full listing of coalition members and to learn more about the coalition, please click here.

    For more information about Stop the Violence BC or to interview a coalition member, please contact:

    Kevin Hollett
    604-682-2344 ext 66536
    778-848-3420
    [email protected]

    BC Mayors Call for Taxation and Regulation of Marijuana

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    April 26, 2012

    To: Premier Christy Clark, Mr. Adrian Dix and Mr. John Cummins
    From: James Baker, Chris Pieper, Derek Corrigan, John Ranns, Howie Cyr, Gregor Robertson, Darrell Mussatto and Robert Sawatzky

    Re: Discussion required on marijuana policy

    Dear Premier Clark, Mr. Dix and Mr. Cummins:

    As mayors of BC municipalities, we are fully aware of the harms stemming from the province’s large illegal marijuana industry. Our communities have been deeply affected by the consequences of marijuana prohibition including large-scale grow-ops, increased organized crime and ongoing gang violence.  Increasing law enforcement costs also significantly impact municipal budgets.

    We see a seemingly endless stream of anti-marijuana law enforcement initiatives in our communities, yet marijuana remains widely and easily available to our youth. Based on the evidence before us, we know that laws that aim to control the marijuana industry are ineffective and, like alcohol prohibition in the US in the 1920s, have led to violent unintended consequences.

    The case against current marijuana laws is compelling. Despite major taxpayer investments in law enforcement activities, the marijuana market has not been suppressed. Furthermore, the province’s massive illegal marijuana trade drives organized crime in BC and throughout the Pacific Northwest. The Organized Crime Agency of BC estimates that organized crime groups control 85% of BC’s marijuana trade, which the Fraser Institute estimates is worth up to $7 billion annually. U.S. federal prosecutors have identified BC-based drug gangs that control the marijuana trade as “the dominant organized crime threat in the Northwest.”

    Even though anti-marijuana law enforcement is active and growing, marijuana potency is increasing while price is decreasing. Rates of use remain high. Youth report easier access to marijuana than to tobacco while organized crime reaps massive marijuana-related profits. Given these facts, we conclude that a more effective, evidence-based approach to controlling marijuana is urgently needed.

    As BC mayors, we support the Stop the Violence BC campaign. It is time to tax and strictly regulate marijuana under a public health framework; regulating marijuana would allow the government to rationally address the health concerns of marijuana, raise government tax revenue and eliminate the huge profits from the marijuana industry that flow directly to organized crime. According to public health experts, strict regulation of the marijuana market may also reduce marijuana use. In fact, the success in reducing rates of tobacco use has been achieved through public health regulation, not prohibition.

    We are also concerned about the policing and related law enforcement costs that will be placed upon municipalities due to proposed federal mandatory minimum sentencing legislation related to marijuana. Such prescribed and inflexible policies have proven costly and ineffective in the US. We ask you to instead consider how a public health framework that calls for strict marijuana regulation and taxation can help address the intractable problems of gangs and gang violence in BC.

    Stop the Violence BC is not alone in its call for a regulated, public health approach to adult marijuana use. The Fraser Institute and the Health Officers Council of BC, among others, have made similar recommendations and your BC public is onside. According to a recent Angus Reid poll, only 12% of British Columbians support the current approach of marijuana prohibition, with the vast majority supporting taxation and regulation.

    We recognize and fully understand public dissatisfaction with today’s marijuana laws. Therefore, we will be recommending that the Union of BC Municipalities support a motion in favour of taxation and regulation of marijuana.  We also encourage politicians to speak their conscience, even if their views go beyond the silence coming from the political parties themselves.

    Given the ongoing gang activity, widespread availability of marijuana and high costs associated with enforcement, leaders at all levels of government must take responsibility for marijuana policy. We are asking you as provincial leaders to take a new approach to marijuana regulation. Our communities, our youth and our public finances will benefit from an evidence-based, public health approach to marijuana.

     

    Signed,

     

    James Baker, Mayor Lake Country
    Chris Pieper, Mayor of Armstrong
    Robert Sawatzky, Mayor of Vernon
    Howie Cyr, Mayor of Enderby
    John Ranns, Mayor of Metchosin
    Darrell Mussatto, Mayor City of North Vancouver
    Derek Corrigan, Mayor of Burnaby
    Gregor Robertson, Mayor of Vancouver

    [button link=”https://stoptheviolencebc.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/2012Apr26-STVBC-Mayors-Endorsement-Letter.pdf” color=”orange”]Download the Letter Here[/button]

    CC:Mr. Heath Slee, Director
    Union of BC Municipalities
    60-10551 Shellbridge Way
    Richmond, BC V6X 2W9

    Former United States Attorney calls on Canada to regulate and tax marijuana

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    John McKay, who prosecuted Vancouver’s Marc Emery, says cannabis prohibition is a threat to public safety on both sides of the border

    [April 18, 2012, Vancouver, BC]¬¬—A high-profile former United States Attorney with a history of fighting the cross-border marijuana trade is urging Washington State lawmakers and Canadians to regulate and tax marijuana as a strategy to combat organized crime and improve public health and safety.

    John McKay, who was appointed U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington State by President George W. Bush in 2001, says Canada and the U.S. should reject today’s ineffective and harmful anti-marijuana law enforcement strategies in favour of a regulated public health approach to marijuana control.

    McKay, who served as U.S. Attorney until 2007, was the federal prosecutor who obtained indictments of Marc Emery, a B.C.-based marijuana activist who was sentenced to five years in U.S. prison for selling marijuana seeds to U.S. customers in 2010.

    “The belief that we support public health and community safety through the enforcement of marijuana laws is misguided and destructive,” says McKay, who spoke at a Stop the Violence BC lecture in Vancouver, Canada today. “Marijuana prohibition in British Columbia and Washington State has fuelled a massive illegal industry that is profitable, exceptionally violent, and a proven threat to public safety and security on both sides of the border.”

    McKay’s experience combating cross-border gangs and the drug trade – which sees B.C. marijuana head south in exchange for fire-arms and cocaine that head north – has convinced him to support Washington Initiative 502, which will be on the 2012 statewide ballot. If passed, the initiative will allow for the taxation and regulation of marijuana in Washington State, with revenues earmarked for substance-abuse prevention and education, and healthcare.

    McKay joins a growing chorus of law enforcement and health officials – including the Health Officers Council of B.C. – who publicly support the regulation and taxation of marijuana. Recently, a total of eight former Vancouver mayors and provincial attorneys general have spoken in favour of taxation and regulation of marijuana to improve public safety.

    “Cannabis prohibition is ineffective, expensive and, without question, contributes to the growth of organized crime,” says Geoff Plant, who served as B.C. attorney general from 2001 to 2005. “Widespread gang violence, easy access to illegal cannabis, significant costs to taxpayers and cross-border organized crime concerns all result from our failed approach to drug policy.”

    McKay is adamant that a regulated cannabis market in Canada and/or the U.S. will not affect cross-border commerce and traffic, and calls politically motivated assertions to the contrary misleading.

    “Rest assured, the U.S. would not take punitive action against Canada that would hinder billions in cross-border trade if Canadian marijuana laws were reformed,” he said. “Canada and the United States should reform and align marijuana laws. Both federal governments have fallen well behind many U.S. states in terms of enacting progressive marijuana policy reforms.”

    Sixteen U.S. states, as well as the District of Columbia, have passed laws allowing some degree of medical use of marijuana. Fourteen U.S. states have taken steps to decriminalize marijuana possession and 2012 will see ballot initiatives to overturn marijuana prohibition in Washington State and Colorado.

    Despite McKay’s connection with prosecuting high-profile cannabis cases, his request to regulate and tax marijuana is welcomed by others making similar calls for changes to Canada’s legislation.

    “It’s heartening to see such a diverse cross-section of law enforcement and public health experts come together and agree that an evidence-based approach to marijuana taxation and regulation makes sense at so many levels,” says Jodie Emery, wife of Marc Emery.

    “Current policies towards marijuana are unnecessarily punitive, and serve to persecute ordinary citizens and ruin lives by hindering their ability to work and fully contribute to society.”

    McKay, Jodie Emery and Geoff Plant have endorsed Stop the Violence BC (STVBC), a coalition of academic, legal, law enforcement and health experts, and its campaign to overturn marijuana prohibition and reduce the harms associated with the illegal marijuana trade, including gang violence. They appeared together on a panel hosted by STVBC on April 18 in Vancouver.

    For a full replay of McKay’s lecture and the following media conference with Jodie Emery, please see https://stoptheviolencebc.org/2012/04/16/former-us-attorney-john-mckay-video/. The link will go live at 5 p.m., PDT, on April 18.

    • To join the STVBC conversation, please visit the STVBC Facebook page (www.facebook.com/StoptheViolenceBC).
    • Updates on the campaign are publicly available on Twitter (www.twitter.com/stvbc).
    • To read the coalition’s first two reports, discover more about the coalition and upcoming events, and learn how to support the effort, please visit www.stoptheviolencebc.org.

    -30-

    About Stop the Violence BC

    Stop the Violence BC is a coalition of law enforcement officials, legal experts, public health officials and academic experts from the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, University of Victoria and the University of Northern BC. Coalition members have come together to engage all British Columbians in a discussion aimed at developing and implementing marijuana-related policies that improve public health while reducing social harms, including violent crime.

    For a full listing of coalition members and to learn more about the coalition, please visit www.stoptheviolencebc.org.

    For quotes from coalition members, photos and links to downloadable videos of coalition members speaking about the report, please visit www.stoptheviolencebc.org/coalition-members/.

    Media: To interview Dr. Evan Wood, founder, Stop the Violence BC coalition, please contact:

    Mahafrine Petigara
    Edelman
    604 623 3007 ext. 297
    [email protected]

    Breaking the Silence: Cannabis prohibition, organized crime, and gang violence

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    This brief report outlines the links between cannabis prohibition in BC and the growth of organized crime and related violence in the province. The report also defines the public health concept “regulation” and seeks to set the stage for a much needed public conversation and action on the part of BC politicians.

    [button link=”https://stoptheviolencebc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/STVBC-Breaking-the-Silence.pdf” style=”download” color=”orange”]Download the report[/button]

    Poll: British Columbians link gang violence to illegal cannabis market

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    Recent polling data released by Stop the Violence BC overwhelmingly demonstrates that lawmakers lag far behind public opinion when it comes to revamping marijuana laws in BC.

    To summarize:

    • A mere 12% of British Columbians support keeping current marijuana laws in place
    • 81% of British Columbians are concerned about increasing gang violence in BC
    • 87% of British Columbians attribute gang violence to drug trafficking groups fighting over profits from the illegal marijuana trade
    • 69% state that arresting marijuana producers and sellers is ineffective, and that BC would be better off taxing and regulating the use of marijuana
    • More than 75% reject the notion that possession of marijuana should lead to a criminal record
    • Only 39% of British Columbians support instituting mandatory minimum prison sentences for marijuana-trade related crime, including possession of six or more marijuana plants.

    [quote style=”boxed”]“These results reveal that British Columbians are clearly dissatisfied with the status quo and recognize the unintended harmful consequences of marijuana prohibition in terms of promoting organized crime and violence,” said Mario Canseco, Vice President, Angus Reid Public Opinion. “The majority of British Columbians are ready for new regulations related to marijuana use and possession, and reject the notion that tough-on-crime measures will be effective.”[/quote]

    [button link=”/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/CC-Rep-1-Poll-Summary-FINAL-Oct-13.pdf” style=”download” color=”orange” window=”yes”]Download the poll summary[/button]