POT LEGALIZATION GETTING CLOSER

A front-page story in The Daily News this week, headlined Little Shop
of Pot, pointed to the growing openness of the debate over what to do
about marijuana.

What to do as in, legalize it, crack down on it, or legalize it in
broader though limited circumstances.

The story was about a storefront marijuana establishment operating
openly in our city. Unless you are a registered medical marijuana
user, you can't simply walk in and chow down on some marijuana cookies
or brownies.

But the day might not be that far off. Just a couple of weeks ago, the
issue of legalization was hotly debated at - of all places - the
annual general meeting of the B.C. Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber is not exactly known for daring forays into groundbreaking
public policy, preferring instead to deal with money matters such as
business friendly regulations and taxation. (Not surprisingly, it's a
big fan of the HST.)

But there they were, several hundred chamber members, talking about
the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana. The issue was raised by the
Prince George Chamber of Commerce, which hosted the convention
attended by business reps from all over the province.

Basis for the P.G. chamber's proposal to legalize is the fact that, in
2009, the B.C. Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General
reported that 68 per cent of all drug related offences were connected
to marijuana.

And there are all those spinoff crimes like breakins that are fuelled
by the $6-billion pot-growing industry.

The resolution was no off-the-cuff idea. It was supported by the B.C.
Chamber's own policy committee, a group tasked with closely
scrutinizing policy proposals to make sure they're in the best
interests of chamber members.

The Prince George Chamber coupled its legalization proposal with one
advocating stronger enforcement of money laundering laws to combat
organized crime. An attempt on the floor of the convention to sever
the two was defeated, after which the whole thing went down in flames.

Our sister newspaper, the Prince George Citizen, quoted Tri-Cities
Chamber of Commerce chair Richard Rainey as saying that supporting
marijuana legalization would be a public relations disaster. "For us
to use those words in this forum... if we were to pass this, that would
be the headline tomorrow."

Abbotsford Chamber vice president Mike Welte told the convention,
"Let's not kid ourselves, Stephen Harper's government is not going to
consider this."

Marijuana was once identified by the respected U.S. business magazine
Forbes as "Canada's most valuable agricultural product," and there's
no doubt it's big business.

Sooner or later, government will be tempted by the potential tax
windfall, not to mention the savings in policing and justice costs,
and business will see an opportunity for investment.

The B.C. Chamber's reluctance to be associated with the issue suggests
Canada isn't quite there yet.

But the very fact that a staid group like the chamber even had such a
debate suggests it's gradually emerging from the closet.