Why does Gordon Campbell ignore BC's 2nd largest industry?

BC Business Magazine recently announced that marijuana represents the 2nd largest contributor to provincial GDP at $7.5 billion dollars and 250,000 jobs, ahead of forestry and behind construction. In the same week, Angus Reid announced that 53% of Canadians support the legalization and regulation of marijuana.

“We are forgoing $2,000,000,000 in tax revenue every year because Gordon Campbell refuses to stand up to the Federal Government” said BCMP Spokesman Jacob Hunter “Marijuana is an agricultural product and belongs under the control of the province.”

The BCMP would immediately regulate marijuana as an agricultural product, providing licenses for it's growth, sale and distribution. Marijuana would be sold in liquor stores and pharmacies. Any business that illegally sold marijuana to youths would have the business license pulled, and their business shut down.

British Columbia would see $2 Billion in additional tax revenue, along with $5 Billion in additional legal market activity. This would come directly from the black market, depriving organized criminals of almost $10 Billion in economic activity; it would in short cripple organized crime. These are the results of an comprehensive study by Stephen Easton of Simon Fraser University.

The University of Alberta recently conducted a study which showed marijuana is popular among educated, middle class Canadians. Other studies have shown the statistical correlation between education and marijuana use. Marijuana is most often used by responsible, educated adults, in moderation, as a way to unwind at the end of the day, or to relax during leisure or social activities.

Why do we criminalize adult, law-abiding, middle class, educated Canadians because they choose to smoke a joint instead of drinking a glass of wine?

Given the popularity, safety and science, why is it that no sitting federal party has a policy in advocacy of legalization and regulation of marijuana? Why do the Liberals and NDP support a decriminalization scheme which would see marijuana profits remain in the hands of organized criminals? Why does the Conservative Party want to subsidize organized criminals by increasing their profits at the cost of public safety? Why do the major federal parties ignore Canadians and the science on this issue?

Canadians must demand better of their politicians. The BCMP is the only party in Canada that bases our policy on the best science, not half-baked ideology. It is time for a change in British Columbia. On May 12, 2009, vote BCMP.