Four of Vancouver’s last five former mayors called this week for end of
marijuana prohibition, saying anti-pot policies have failed to reduce
marijuana’s availability and that prohibition has fueled violence in
British Columbia communities.

Thursday evening, current Vancouver Mayor
Gregor Robertson joined his predecessors, adding his voice to the call.

[image:1 align:left caption:true]In an open letter
released Wednesday, former mayors Mike Harcourt (1980-1986), Philip
Owen (1993-2002), Larry Campbell (2002-2005), and Sam Sullivan
(2005-2008) called on the province’s politicians to legalize and
regulate pot in BC. The letter was released by Stop the Violence BC, which just last month published a report
outlining the links between pot prohibition and organized crime and
violence and calling for a regulated, public health approach to
marijuana.

“Marijuana prohibition is – without question – a failed policy,” the
former mayors wrote. “It is creating violent, gang-related crime in our
communities and fear among our citizens, and adding financial costs for
all levels of government at a time when we can least afford them.
Politicians cannot ignore the status quo any longer; they must develop
and deliver alternative marijuana policies that avoid the social and
criminal harms that stem directly from cannabis prohibition.”

The ex-mayors’ intervention comes as the Canadian federal government of
Conservative Prime Minister Steven Harper is attempting to push through a
crime bill that would, among other things, impose mandatory minimum
prison sentences for growing as few as five plants. But that’s not a
popular position in British Columbia, where a recent Angus Reid poll had
support for taxing and regulating marijuana at 69%. It is past time for
elected officials to get on board the marijuana reform bandwagon, the
ex-mayor’s said.

“Clearly, elected officials are out of step with their public on
marijuana prohibition,” they wrote. “It is time that elected officials
enter the debate and deliver specific proposals to address the easy
availability of cannabis to youth and the organized crime concerns
stemming directly from cannabis prohibition.”

One elected official who has heeded that call is current Vancouver Mayor Robertson. In a tweet
sent out Thursday evening, Robertson said, “Good to see 4 Vancouver
ex-mayors calling for end of cannabis prohibition. I agree, we need to
be smart and tax/regulate.”

In British Columbia, at least, the wall of silence by elected officials
around legalizing marijuana has been breached. Whether that will lead to
BC retaking its spot in the vanguard of pot law reform worldwide
remains to be seen, but it’s a good start.

Article source: http://www.ganja.com/gv9/index.php?option=com_contentview=articleid=34047:vancouver-mayors-say-legalize-marijuanacatid=34:blog-entriesItemid=77

Article source: http://cannabislover.com/2011/11/30/vancouver-mayors-say-legalize-marijuana/