Former B.C. solicitor-general says B.C. should OK pot

published on July 9, 2015 by Dan Fumano, in The Province

B.C. should legalize, regulate and tax marijuana, becoming Canada’s version of Washington state, says former B.C. solicitor general Kash Heed.

Suzanne Anton, the current attorney general and minister of justice, says it’s an issue for the federal government, but Heed and others want B.C. to lead the way on pot policy.

“B.C. could do it in a responsible way, if there was the political will provincially,” said Heed, who also served as the commanding officer of the Vancouver Police Department’s drug squad. “It’s time for them to take a position on this at the provincial level, absolutely.

...

Dr. Julio Montaner, director of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, said with the collaboration of various levels of government, British Columbians “have a long track record of challenging the status quo ... in ways that have been previously felt to be unthinkable. The case in point is Insite,” Vancouver’s supervised drug injection site.

Montaner pointed out that when Insite opened in 2003, it was illegal to operate such a facility. But, they were able to open under a Section 56 exemption of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

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© Copyright BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
St. Paul's Hospital 608–1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6Z 1Y6
Tel: 604-806-8477 | Fax: 604-806-9044
General inquiries: info@bccfe.ca
Media inquiries: communications@bccfe.ca
(Please do not use any of these email addresses to send personal information or book an appointment. To book appointments or contact the H2H clinic, please call 604-416-1517 or fax: 604-564-4893. Do not send your or your client's personal information via email.)

Our work serves clients and communities across British Columbia on lands and waters cared for and nurtured by the many distinct First Nations across the province. The BC-CfE humbly and gratefully acknowledge the stewards of these lands, particularly the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh) on whose unceded, traditional and ancestral territories our offices are located.