MAJORITY IN B.C. THINKS LEGALIZING POT REDUCES VIOLENCE, POLL FINDS

(CNS) - The majority of British Columbians think legalizing pot would
reduce drug-trade-related violence, an Angus Reid Strategies poll has found.

Sixty-five per cent of respondents would legalize marijuana to
minimize violence, compared to 35 per cent who think harsher
penalties for marijuana trafficking are the answer.

British Columbians are more evenly split on existing drug-enforcement
laws. A slim majority (51 per cent) says lax enforcement on so-called
"soft drugs" such as marijuana lets criminals go free, which may lead
to violence. Forty-nine per cent say enforcement criminalizes
law-abiding citizens.

The online poll of 822 people, conducted April 24-26, has a margin of
error of 3.4 percentage points, 19 times in 20.