canada to legalize marijuana in all forms

[stangle12]

BC NDP passes legalization resolution
Monday, February 20, 2006
I am very happy to report that on Sunday, Feb 19, the Provincial Council of the BC NDP passed the "marijuana resolution" which I had tried unsuccessfully to get debated and passed at the BC NDP Convention last year.

This means that the official policy of the BC NDP is now that the party supports a legalized marijuana regime, including regulated access to marijuana, no penalties for personal cultivation and use, and amnesty for all past convictions for marijuana possession.

It wasn't easy getting this debated and voted on at the council meeting, but once we got it to a vote it passed with about 85-90% support.

The Council also passed another resolution calling for harm reduction, expansion of the safe injection site program, and the creation of "safe inhalation" sites for users of smokable cocaine and heroin.

I am thrilled about this! This is a huge step forward for our movement in BC and Canada!

Under the rules of the BC NDP, all resolutions brought forward at the convention which did not get debated during the convention must be dealt with by Provincial Council within 180 days. The meeting this weekend was the only opportunity for the Council to deal with the many undebated resolutions.

They went through most of them in clumps, with virtually all resolutions being dealt with as had been recommended by the policy committee. Some were recommended to be passed, some were recommended to be rejected, and some were recommended to be sent to the policy committee for further work. There was a little debate here and there, but very little overall, with most people just wanting to work through them all as quickly as painlessly as possible.

The marijuana resolution was recommended to be sent back to the policy committee, which is where it would have gone to die.

I was not an official delegate to the Council, so I could not introduce motions or vote on anything. I could speak only with a formal vote of permission (which is readily granted to any NDP member who wishes to talk).

I had a couple of friends at the meeting, including Sam Heppell, a Young New Democrat who has been very helpful and supportive. He rose to introduce a motion to separate out the marijuana resolution from its cluster so it could be debated and voted on separately. He spoke eloquently on how much support the resolution had enjoyed at the convention, and how it was wrong for it to have not been granted higher priority there.

There was some debate, including the question of whether this is only a "federal" issue. However, no-one stood up to oppose the principle of the resolution, and a few others spoke in favour. I was also able to speak in support of it as well.

When it came to a vote we had about 85% support.

The marijuana resolution was the only one that was recommended to be sent back to the policy committee, but was instead passed after debate.

This is the actual text of the resolution that was passed:

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Be it resolved that the BC NDP formally establish an explicit cannabis policy based upon a non-punitive, regulatory approach, including support for a legal supply of cannabis, elimination of all penalties for personal cultivation and possession, and amnesty for past cannabis possession convictions.
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This means that the official policy of the BC NDP is now that "a non-punitive, regulatory approach" is the right one for cannabis, and that the party will have to develop a provincial policy explaining how the province would help to create and regulate a legal supply of cannabis, plus lobby the federal government to eliminate all penalties for personal cultivation and possession, and create a legal amnesty for past cannabis possession convictions.

stangle12 Reviewed by stangle12 on 02-24-2006. canada to legalize marijuana in all forms BC NDP passes legalization resolution Monday, February 20, 2006 I am very happy to report that on Sunday, Feb 19, the Provincial Council of the BC NDP passed the "marijuana resolution" which I had tried unsuccessfully to get debated and passed at the BC NDP Convention last year. This means that the official policy of the BC NDP is now that the party supports a legalized marijuana regime, including regulated access to marijuana, no penalties for personal cultivation and use, and amnesty for Rating: 5

[bedake]

Wow, a whole new reason kids will be going to windsor...

[stangle12]

im takin a road trip ASAP.

[stangle12]

like...in three weeks.

[beachguy in thongs]

If this is "fake news", I like your creativity, stangle(3 x 4). If not, then let the bricks fall.

[stangle12]

no lie
http://www.endprohibition.ca/news.php

[stangle12]

beachguy i would never lie to you.

[D.Boone]

holy crap i dont believe it thats fucking awesome. O, CANADA, O, CANADA, I COME, TO ,TOKE In CANADA!

[stangle12]

this could lead to the demize in us prohibition. think about it. if the boarder is legal, its gonne be hella easy to get it here

[BigHomie]

Is it hard for an American to become a Canadian citizen?