Marking 20 years
of bold journalism,
reader supported.
News
Rights + Justice
Politics

Vancouver Councillor Bewildered by Libs' Refusal to Decriminalize Pot

Kerry Jang says argument that NDP motion would help organized crime doesn't make sense.

Jeremy Nuttall 15 Jun 2016TheTyee.ca

Jeremy J. Nuttall is The Tyee's Parliament Hill reporter in Ottawa. Find his previous stories here./

This coverage of Canadian national issues is made possible because of generous financial support from our Tyee Builders.

A Vancouver city councillor says Ottawa's rejection of a New Democrat motion to decriminalize marijuana possession goes against his city's successful approach towards marijuana law enforcement.

The federal Liberals say they don't want to decriminalize pot, despite a plan to make it fully legal next spring, because they are concerned that organized crime networks could take advantage of the lifting of possession charges.

On Tuesday, the NDP Opposition day motion to decriminalize pot -- it would simply not be illegal, as opposed to fully legal -- was voted down, leaving Vancouver Councillor Kerry Jang confused.

"I'm trying to understand what they're trying to accomplish," Jang said of the Liberals.

Yesterday, Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, who hails from Vancouver, said that if pot were decriminalized it would "continue to be grown and distributed by organized crime networks" and make it easier to acquire.

But Jang said the existence of big-time criminals reaping profits from marijuana is the exact reason why police in his city don't go after people for petty offences.

He said that police can still hunt down organized crime networks even if smaller possession charges are not pursued -- and they would have more time and resources to do so.

"Instead of the cops writing up a report for a kid, (they'd) go after big-time pot dealers and trafficking," he said.

Marijuana dispensaries have popped up throughout Vancouver and the city recently closed 31 while seeking court injunctions against another 17, but Jang said the closures were about zoning issues.

He said the closures came because the city decided what its policy towards marijuana would be and now can enforce the policy.

"Our public policy goes to keep the shops away from schools and community centres," Jang said. "Those shops that failed our test will have to close, because they're too close. It's no different than what we'd expect from a liquor store."

Liberal stance hypocritical: Emery

Meanwhile, marijuana legalization advocate Jodie Emery said the government's decision to continue enforcing pot possession laws while it prepares to legalize the substance is hypocritical.

She noted that without any consequences, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau admitted he smoked marijuana when he was an opposition member of Parliament, but many others have been arrested and charged for possession.

"That kind of inequality is an injustice in itself," Emery said. "Canada's government should never uphold or maintain any law that is widely seen and accepted as being unjust."

She praised the NDP motion and chided the Liberals for allowing Canadians to be arrested for something they know will be legal in the future.

Jang said he thinks the Liberals are acting cautious about decriminalization because they still haven't set out their marijuana policy goals.

"But as we're seeing in many jurisdictions, the police are prioritizing as the real situation dictates," he said. "In our city it's organized crime, so let's focus (enforcement) there."  [Tyee]

Read more: Rights + Justice, Politics

  • Share:

Facts matter. Get The Tyee's in-depth journalism delivered to your inbox for free

Tyee Commenting Guidelines

Comments that violate guidelines risk being deleted, and violations may result in a temporary or permanent user ban. Maintain the spirit of good conversation to stay in the discussion.
*Please note The Tyee is not a forum for spreading misinformation about COVID-19, denying its existence or minimizing its risk to public health.

Do:

  • Be thoughtful about how your words may affect the communities you are addressing. Language matters
  • Challenge arguments, not commenters
  • Flag trolls and guideline violations
  • Treat all with respect and curiosity, learn from differences of opinion
  • Verify facts, debunk rumours, point out logical fallacies
  • Add context and background
  • Note typos and reporting blind spots
  • Stay on topic

Do not:

  • Use sexist, classist, racist, homophobic or transphobic language
  • Ridicule, misgender, bully, threaten, name call, troll or wish harm on others
  • Personally attack authors or contributors
  • Spread misinformation or perpetuate conspiracies
  • Libel, defame or publish falsehoods
  • Attempt to guess other commenters’ real-life identities
  • Post links without providing context

LATEST STORIES

The Barometer

Do You Think Naheed Nenshi Will Win the Alberta NDP Leadership Race?

Take this week's poll