An effort to collect enough signatures to have a provincial referendum on the decriminalization of marijuana has gone up in smoke.

About 220,000 people in B.C. signed the petition organized by Sensible B.C., far short of the required number of 400,000 signatures, representing 10 per cent of voters.

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Sensible B.C. proposed that the B.C. Police Act no longer call for police to enforce laws relating to possession and use of marijuana by adults. The petition also called on B.C. to urge the federal government to give B.C. an exemption on marijuana laws or repeal the federal prohibition on possession of marijuana.

Dana Larsen, the Vancouver organizer of Sensible B.C., plans to hand over the petition Monday at Elections B.C.’s Victoria office.

“There’s an element of apathy,” said Cam Birge, organizer of Sensible B.C.’s petition drive in Victoria, in explaining why the effort fell short.

“One thing that was quite noticeable here in Victoria was the stigma of being seen in public signing [the petition],” he said. “Certainly, federal employees won’t sign it — they’re afraid of losing their jobs.”

About 40 per cent of those who signed the petition don’t use marijuana for recreational or medicinal use, he said.

About 20,000 signatures were collected in Greater Victoria, short of the 30,000 goal.

“We kind of pulled it together at the last minute, and we did very well under those circumstances,” Birge said.

“The demographic is pretty incredible. They could be 85-year-olds with walkers down to 20-year-olds. There’s no clear demographic.”

Many people who signed the petition are tired of drug dealers selling marijuana to youth and the lack of taxation, Birge said. Marijuana is readily available to many youth and is much easier to buy than alcohol and tobacco, he said.

The proponents will continue to keep the decriminalization of marijuana in the public eye as they prepare for the next round of the fight, Birge said.

“We want to have a machine in place should we desire to go again,” he said. “The big issue is whether we do it before the federal election or after — it depends who wins, right?”

smcculloch@timescolonist.com