January 9, 2006
For more information on this press release:
Ontario:
Alison Myrden 905- 681-8287
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Word Doc
Canadians to vote for an end to cannabis prohibition in upcoming federal election.
The Canadian Cannabis Coalition, a nation-wide umbrella organization for
cannabis organizations and activists, is calling on candidates for the
upcoming federal election to commit to ending cannabis prohibition in Canada.
Alison Myrden, who is licensed by Health Canada to use cannabis for MS and is
a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, states that "Cannabis law
reform a vital issue for all Canadians. Drug misuse, drug adulteration,
overdoses, impaired driving, gang-gang violence, police deaths ... all the
problems known as "drug problems" are in fact "drug prohibition problems."
Alison is asking Canadians to find out what their local candidates will do to
end the war on drugs before casting their ballots.
"We must learn from our past, and remember that the violence surrounding
alcohol prohibition ended the moment alcohol prohibition ended," cautions
David Malmo-Levine, whose constitutional challenge went before the Supreme
Court in 2003. The courts agreed that cannabis is not significantly harmful,
but decided that since prohibition is a political issue, it should be resolved
by parliament.
"This is a crucial issue for Canadian sovereignty", asserts Rielle Capler,
spokesperson for the BC Compassion Club Society. "We don't want the raids that
are currently happening in California against medical marijuana organizations
to start happening here. We want to end the war on drugs, not import it here
from the USA".
The USA is seeking the extradition of 3 Canadians to face a minimum of 10
years to life in prisons for activities that have not been law enforcement
priorities in Canada. The USA is seeking the extradition of Renee Boje, a US
citizen currently seeking refugee status in Canada, for allegedly assisting
medical cannabis patients in the state of California, where medical cannabis
is legal. Steve Kubby, another US citizen who has a rare form of adrenal
cancer that only cannabis can treat and who has a license for cannabis use
from Health Canada, is also seeking refugee status in Canada.
The CCC calls on Canadian citizens and Members of Parliament to educate themselves on these very important issues. Some recommended reading includes the Senate Report on Illegal Drugs which recommends cannabis regulation, the Fraser Institute report recommending regulation and taxation, the recent reports by the City of Toronto and Vancouver calling for a controlled cannabis market, and the BC Provincial Health Officer's report calling for a public health approach to drug policy.
The CCC is proud of the harm reduction initiatives that have been occurring in
Canada and would like Canada to be an example of humane drug policies for the
rest of the world.
Participating Organizations
For further information or comment, please contact:
Canadian Cannabis Coalition
P.O. Box 1481
Grand Forks, B.C.
V0H 1H0
ccc@cannabiscoalition.ca
Web: cannabiscoalition.ca
Feedback form: cannabiscoalition.ca/feedback.htm
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