Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson joins calls for marijuana legalization
Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson has joined four former mayors in calling for an end to marijuana prohibition.
On Thursday night (November 24), Robertson tweeted: "Good to see 4 Vancouver ex-mayors calling for end of cannabis prohibition. I agree, we need to be smart and tax/regulate."
Robertson's Twitter post follows the release on Wednesday (November 23) of an open letter signed by Sam Sullivan, Michael Harcourt, Larry Campbell, and Philip Owen.
In the letter, the former mayors, which include a former B.C. premier and a current senator among them, urged all elected B.C. politicians to speak out on the "ineffectiveness and harms" of marijuana prohibition.
"Marijuana prohibition is – without question – a failed policy," they 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."
According to the ex-mayors, it's time to tax and regulate the use of marijuana by adults.
"We believe a legally regulated market for adult cannabis use has the potential to reduce rates of cannabis use while at the same time directly addressing organized crime concerns by starving them of this cash cow," they stated. "A regulated market would enable governments to improve community health and safety while at the same time raising millions in tax revenue."
With his now-tweeted stance on marijuana, Robertson might endear himself to the self-styled "Prince of Pot", imprisoned marijuana activist Marc Emery.
“In my hometown Vancouver you get a Mayor seeking re-election who was, as far as I understand, an active member of our culture in the north Gulf Islands once upon a time, but you never hear him stand up for us as a culture,” Emery had stated in an article posted on Cannabis Culture on November 11.
Comments
47 Comments
Mark Fornataro
Nov 25, 2011 at 8:48am
Since Mayor Robertson is Chair and spokesman for the VPD, hopefully then he can convince the police that precious time and resources wasted on busting harmless folks for pot could instead be better spent protecting the vulnerable of society, such as the women who would still be alive if the police had been serious many years ago about arresting Robert Pickton.
Komodo
Nov 25, 2011 at 8:55am
Amen.
dc robertson
Nov 25, 2011 at 9:18am
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fresh made almond milk
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Chantal
Nov 25, 2011 at 9:19am
Tax - no. Regulate - no. Just decriminalize it!
Rony Demers
Nov 25, 2011 at 9:25am
Good on him. Maybe one day scientific evidence and logic will be used to form legislation in this great country of ours. Until then.....
NoLeftNutter
Nov 25, 2011 at 9:25am
One simple topic so much stupidity. There is no business case that would allow any government to legislate, tax and regulate pot so that it could be sold competitively in the market. Johnny's grow opp down the street will always offer better quality for less money than any government could. Stop the stupid comparisons to alcohol, if people could produce comparable product in home stills there'd be huge illegal production of it as well. Jeez.
marijuana mummy
Nov 25, 2011 at 10:23am
The regulations have already started. It does not take much effort to get a medical marijuana license. Perhaps this is the testing grounds for future plans of taxation and regulation.
darkcycle
Nov 25, 2011 at 10:47am
It is interesting that many ex-politicians and ex- police officers are coming out for marijuana legalization. Perhaps we should be asking why is it that these former officials are willing to speak up only after they have left office? Or, more accurately: Why is it that a public figure is unable to stand for good public policy while they are in position to influence it? That there are commercial and institutional interests in maintaining this unworkable prohibition seems manifest, yet how can a policy that at it's core violates every precept of justice we hold dear continue? Mexico and Columbia's presidents both seem to be moving towards a different perspective, why is it still impossible for an elected or appointed official in the supposedly free United States and Canada to take a stand that the drug war has failed? Hmmm?
john smith
Nov 25, 2011 at 11:41am
darkcycle taking the words out of my mouth. These politicos know its safe to spout off like this cause the rabble will lap it up, while the real authorities just ignore them. It will never be legalized in Canada until the US does so & that won't happen anytime soon. If we were to legalize it, the US would shut the border down & collapse our economy
Birdy
Nov 25, 2011 at 11:42am
Yeah, let's have the government regulate marijuana the same way they regulate tobacco, that way they can fill our weed with dangerous chemicals to keep us safe. Oh wait, they already did, when the federal government grown "medicinal" weed was tested it was found to be contaminated with high levels of lead and arsenic. I trust criminal street gangs about 500 times more than any government.
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