Decriminalize pot
A majority of BC local government leaders passed a resolution on Wednesday, September 26 that calls for the decriminalization of marijuana.
The resolution was passed at the 2012 UBCM (Union of BC Municipalities) convention, taking place in Victoria. It calls on “the appropriate government to decriminalize marijuana and research the regulation and taxation of marijuana.”
City of Powell River Councillor Debbie Dee told the Peak, during a phone interview, that she attended a workshop about the issue on Monday. It included legal and medical experts, such as former BC attorney-general Geoff Plant and Dr. Evan Wood, founder of Stop the Violence BC, a coalition of academic, legal, law enforcement and health experts campaigning to reform cannabis laws.
“It was an excellent workshop,” Dee said. “They said things like prohibition is a failed policy, 70 per cent of drug offences are cannabis related and possession laws are grossly out of proportion.”
Dee said she voted in favour of the resolution, as did councillors Jim Palm, Russell Brewer and Maggie Hathaway. Mayor Dave Formosa was not at the vote and Councillor Chris McNaughton voted in opposition to the resolution, said Dee, adding she didn’t know how Councillor Myrna Leishman voted.
“I don’t think people should have a criminal record for having a small amount of marijuana,” Dee said. “I also don’t think they should go to jail for it. It’s that old thing, you put them in jail with a bachelor’s degree in pot and they come out with a PhD in hard crime.”
Dee said she thought the vote split was 60-40. Opponents argue that organized criminals won’t be deterred by decriminalization from selling pot and resorting to violence to protect their commodity. They also say decriminalization will increase the attraction to youth to try it, then move to being addicted to harder drugs, like heroin and cocaine.
Water pipe
City of Powell River crews have started replacing the water main on Manson Avenue after a series of breaks caused significant damage to private property.
Staff recommended the replacement of the 200-mm (millimetre) asbestos cement pipe between Barnet Street and Larry Gouthro Park, estimated to cost about $100,000. Council passed a motion at the September 6 meeting to fund the cost from the water infrastructure replacement reserve.
According to a staff report, there were two breaks on Manson in June. Breaks have also made other water mains in the distribution system a higher priority for replacement, such as the 100-mm asbestos cement water mains on Huntingdon Street and Westview Avenue.
The breaks caused “varying degrees of property damage through flooding, ranging from washed out gravel driveways to water damage in interior residential spaces.”
