Sensible B.C. returns with a Victoria rally to reform marijuana laws

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      Organizers may have failed to bring about a referendum on B.C. marijuana laws in 2013, but Dana Larsen says that doesn't mean the fight to decriminalize pot is over.

      “Sensible B.C. is not going away,” the campaign director told the Straight. “Two hundred thousand people signed on to show their support for this and polls show that it is something that British Columbians want to have happen.”

      A rally is scheduled for tomorrow (February 11) outside the B.C. legislature in Victoria to coincide with the convening of the fortieth parliament. The protest will happen from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., with Larsen estimating that around 100 people will be in attendance.

      “This is the opening of the legislature, and we want our MLAs and the government to know that the people of British Columbia want to see sensible marijuana laws and that we’re tired of seeing our taxpayer dollars going to pay police to bust our kids for smoking pot,” he said.

      Larsen revealed that he’s also in the process of scheduling meetings with MLAs representing the three major political parties.

      “It would be nice if we had a champion in the House,” he added. “The NDP and the Liberals, while there are some individual MLAs who signed and are on board, as institutions, neither party is really willing to fundamentally address marijuana issues at a provincial level.”

      Larsen said he feels the push for a referendum went a long way in building up an effective network of activists and volunteers that’s now preparing for a second attempt to reform laws governing the handling of marijuana in B.C.

      “We’re going to keep pushing on this issue,” he emphasized. “It’s a big issue in British Columbia, and just because we couldn’t overcome the very challenging referendum system, that doesn’t mean we’re going away.”

      You can follow Travis Lupick on Twitter at twitter.com/tlupick.

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