EDMONTON/630 CHED
9/26/2012
A motion is going before BC municipalities on Wednesday, asking for their support in decriminalizing marijuana.
Dr. Chris Fibiger is a professor at UBC and a member of "Stop the Violence." It's a group that believes prohibition does nothing to curb its use. Worse, the coalition says, keeping marijuana illegal fuels violence and organized crime.
Dr. Fibiger spoke on 630CHED's Rutherford show and says by decriminalizing marijuana, its multi-billion dollar illegal trade would dry up. He points to prohibition as an example.
"Look what happened to contraband liquor when prohibition ended." he says. "The contraband liquor, if it still exists, is a fraction of what it used to be."
Fibiger says a better way to approach marijuana would be to regulate its trade and treat its use as a health issue.
"The taxes that are generated by its sale can be used for prevention and treatment programs." he says. "Tobacco use is a great example. Look at the reduction in tobacco consumption since we have treated that as a real health problem." (ms/scb)
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