B.C. LIKELY TO FEEL PINCH IF CALIFORNIA LEGALIZES POT

Could Weaken Gangs: Expert

British Columbia's illegal marijuana industry will be dealt a heavy
economic blow if Californians vote to legalize pot Tuesday, says a
criminology professor who has studied the effect of B.C. bud for more
than a decade.

Darryl Plecas, criminology professor at the University of the Fraser
Valley, predicts that decriminalizing pot in California would have a
significant economic impact on the illegal trade of B.C. marijuana --
and would weaken organized crime groups.

"The single biggest fuel for organized crime in B.C. is grow-ops,"
says Plecas. "It's hard to imagine it could not have some significant
impact."

Californians will vote during the midterm elections on Tuesday on
whether to legalize pot. If passed, Proposition 19 would allow adults
21 and older to possess up to 28.5 grams of marijuana and to grow pot
at a private residence in a space as large as 25 square feet for
personal use.

Plecas says 70 per cent of B.C. bud is destined for export, with
Washington and California being major markets.

California, with a population of about 36 million -- about three
million more people than all of Canada -- has been a particularly
important market because the farther south pot travels, the higher the
price it yields, says Plecas. And if Californians are able to legally
cultivate even just small amount of marijuana in their own backyards,
that will drive the price of B.C. marijuana down and weaken the
strength of organized crime, he says.

"One way to look at it is mass layoffs," says Plecas, suggesting there
will be fewer people needed to cultivate the drug.

B.C.'s illegal pot industry generates between $3 billion and $7
billion annually, estimates Plecas.

Diminishing demand would not only negatively impact the underground
economy, but could cause a wider ripple effect, with retail and
restaurant industries taking a hit, as well as real estate.

Plecas estimates that at least 10,000 homes in the province are used
as grow-ops. Still, it's un-likely, he said, that legalizing marijuana
in California would mean the end of gangs in B.C.

"I definitely worry about what will they do next," says Plecas. "We'd
be naive to think [they'll say] 'Oh, that's it, I'll go and get a job
at McDonald's.' "

Jodie Emery, longtime pot activist and wife of Marc Emery, the
so-called Prince of Pot who has been jailed in the U.S. for mailing
marijuana seeds south of the border, echoed Plecas's views.

Emery said legalizing pot will have a negative economic impact on
B.C., noting that the underground economy helps drive "cannabis
tourism" to B.C. She adds that many unemployed workers from the
sagging forestry sector throughout the province have also turned to
growing pot, but are not connected to organized crime.

But Emery supports California's Proposition 19 and planned to fly to
Oakland, Calif., to help pro-legalization activist Richard Lee
campaign for the yes vote.

Const. Michael McLaughlin, spokesman for the B.C. RCMP federal drug
enforcement branch, says he is not authorized to speak about the issue
other than to say that "We'll continue to enforce Canadian laws, there
will continue to be organized crime, we'll continue to go after
large-scale drug-traffickers and producers in B.C."