EX- MAYORS CALL FOR END TO POT PROHIBITION

Four former Vancouver mayors of varying political
stripes have endorsed a coalition calling for an
end to pot prohibition in Canada, which they blame for rampant gang
violence.

Larry Campbell, Mike Harcourt, Sam Sullivan and
Philip Owen all signed an open letter to
politicians in B. C. on Wednesday claiming a
change in the law will reduce gang slayings on public streets.

The former mayors support the position of the
Stop the Violence B. C. coalition, which recently
released a survey showing most B. C. residents
favoured an end to the current marijuana laws.

The letter says "marijuana prohibition is -
without question - a failed policy."

"It is creating violent, gang-related crime in
our communities and fear among our citizens, and
adding financial costs for all levels of
government at a time when we can least afford
them. Politicians cannot ignore the status quo
any longer, and must develop and deliver
alternative marijuana policies that avoid the
social and criminal harms that stem directly from
cannabis prohibition," the letter says.

The letter was sent to MPS, MLAS and city
councillors, and is designed to drive debate on changing marijuana laws.

"It is unconscionable, unacceptable and
unreasonable that the criminal element in B. C.
is allowed to grow and thrive due to inaction on
the part of the politicians," said Sullivan, who
served 12 years as a city councillor before being
elected mayor of Vancouver in 2005. "Politicians
must play a key role in the development of new
policies that can really provide safer, stronger communities."

But a police expert on organized crime said
Wednesday that gang violence is extremely complex
and not directly linked to any one product marketed by crime groups.

"It's not our place to argue whether marijuana is
good for you or bad for you, or that it should or
shouldn't be legalized. =80| But we do have
expertise in gangs and organized crime," said
Sgt. Bill Whalen, of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit.

"What we know is, gang violence has many
components to it - most importantly, organized
crime is profit-motivated, and that is a huge
contributor to gang violence. Secondly, the
commodities change. In recent years, our
investigations have shown that violence is tied
to money, and more prevalent commodities like
cocaine, methamphetamine, and ecstasy."

He said legalizing marijuana "won't solve the problem of gang violence."

The Stop the Violence coalition said that a
September poll showed B. C. residents don't have
faith that politicians can design policies to
reduce criminal, health and social harms stemming
from the illegal marijuana trade.

The Angus Reid online survey of 800 people showed
that only 32 per cent of British Columbians trust
municipal politicians to develop effective
marijuana policy. Trust in federal and provincial
politicians was even lower - at 28 per cent and 27 per cent respectively.

Harcourt, who was both mayor and B. C. premier,
said politicians should be working on "developing
an alternative to marijuana prohibition."

"British Columbians clearly say that prohibition
does not work and new policies have the potential
to generate widespread public support," he said.

Owen agreed, saying: "It's time politicians
listened to their constituents and woke up to the
possible benefits of a new legalization, regulation and taxation regime."

Campbell, who is now a senator, challenged
politicians to "prove the public wrong."

"Politicians have tremendous access to
information, expertise and the levers of power,
and must use all of the tools at their disposal
to fight gang violence by implementing rational
marijuana policies," Campbell said.

The poll was commissioned by the new coalition,
made up of academic, legal, law enforcement and health experts.

"These poll results reinforce the fact that
British Columbians are way ahead of those they
have elected in recognizing the destructive
outcomes from marijuana prohibition," said Dr.
Evan Wood, a coalition member and director of the
Urban Health Research Initiative at the B. C.
Centre for Excellence in HIV/ AIDS. "It's time
politicians of all stripes consider the gang
violence and criminal activity resulting from
marijuana prohibition, and enact policies that
reflect the desire of British Columbians for change."