Re: Poll shows Liberal rebound, Jan. 19

The Liberals believe our country will be better off if marijuana is legalized. They’re not alone. On the West Coast a campaign called “Stop the Violence B.C.,” led by law enforcement officers, former prosecutors, university professors, doctors and lawyers, argues that we can make our communities safer by reducing the crime associated with illegal cannabis production and distribution.

As a doctoral researcher I agree with Stop the Violence B.C. when they say that research has consistently demonstrated a relationship between prohibitions of widely used substances, such as marijuana, and violent crime. Much of the headline-grabbing violence we see in British Columbia is associated with efforts to control the right to supply an enormous illegal market estimated at 430,000 users in B.C. alone.

This widespread use of cannabis makes it an ideal candidate for regulation. Research suggests that proactive regulation and taxation of this substance will very likely reduce related violence and criminal activity, decreasing policing costs while generating revenue for the government. These studies also suggest that regulation would lead to an eventual decrease in the number of people toking up.

I would like to be clear that I am not advocating cannabis use. Rather, I am arguing for its legalization and regulation because at least two decades of research tell us that such an approach can reduce the negative effects this drug has on our society.

Nathan Vadeboncoeur, Vancouver