Washington’s decriminalization has strengthened the cry to do the same here
By Alison Roach
Photos by Torben Bjørn Hansen
On Tuesday, Nov. 6, both the states of Colorado and Washington passed ballots legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, raising interest from advocates about the possible impact of the decision here in British Columbia. Some 55 per cent of voters in Washington approved Initiative 502, legalizing the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana by anyone over the age of 21. The question of legalization of marijuana has been a longstanding dispute in our own province, and this change in policy down south has strengthened the cry for similar action here in Canada.
Prime minister Stephen Harper’s reaction to the news was discouraging for proponents of legalization; when asked for a comment by reporters in Bangalore on the recent move towards decriminalization in Washington and Colorado, Harper replied, “I won’t speculate about what it means south of the border. But the Government of Canada has no intention of opening the issue here.” BC premier Christy Clark has also stated that she does not support legalization, and believes it to be a federal matter.
One of the leaders of the decriminalization movement here in British Columbia is Sensible BC, a campaign that calls for decriminalization through the Sensible Policing Act, which would redirect all BC police forces from using time, money, and resources in simple cannabis possession cases. Sensible BC’s slogan states “Decriminalize Cannabis; For a Safer Province.” Sensible BC leader Dana Larsen commends Washington state’s decision, and was quoted by CBC News as saying, “We need to follow the example put forward by Washington state to end prohibition, to legalize it.”
The Peak spoke with the director of the SFU School of Criminology, Dr. Robert Gordon, about his opinions on the referendums. He commented, “It’s a fairly significant step in many ways for North America, and . . . it’s kind of ironic that we’ve always said the reason that we don’t have liberal marijuana laws is because of the US, the fear of the repercussions. Seems that we got that one wrong.” Gordon was also quick to assert that the change in Washington isn’t legalization or decriminalization per se, but a new regime of regulation and taxation.
Gordon also said he believes the referendum has put more pressure for the same action here in BC, but it will be somewhat contingent on what happens in Washington over the coming months. Gordon said, “People will realize that the sky doesn’t fall, we’re not going to be stumbling across the bodies of thousands of addicted marijuana users.”
As for a possible immediate effect on BC, Gordon said he thinks that we won’t feel an economic effect, since marijuana is not a recognized export, but there will be changes to the way illegal product moves. He pointed to the possibilities of local growers picking up the holes left in the Washington market and possibly moving to the state, setting off a reverse-smuggling trend, as well as disruption to the north-flowing products comprised mainly of cocaine and firearms that are part of the trade.
Overall, Gordon said a similar action wouldn’t be an enormous change for our province. He affirmed that there wouldn’t be much difference to our population’s habits of marijuana use, concluding, “If you’re doing it you’re going to do it, and you’re going to continue to do it; it just won’t be as exciting.” To pass their referendum, Sensible BC will have to gather signatures from at least 10 per cent of registered voters in every one of BC’s 85 ridings by September 2014. Sensible BC plans to start collecting signatures in the fall of 2013.
Gordon noted, “The current polling would suggest that there’s support for a taxation and regulatory system, and as long as there can be guarantees about keeping it out of the hands of kids, and as long as there’s some concrete indication that this is a good revenue source for government, and you don’t need as many police officers chasing phantoms around the bush . . . then people will be inclined to vote for it. I mean really, it is pretty ridiculous. It is. I mean, I use caffeine and alcohol, but I look at this and think: this is daft.”
