Today, December 5, was the final deadline for Sensible BC to collect enough signatures — 400,000 province wide — to force a referendum on the decriminalization of marijuana.
It does appear that those efforts will come up short. Last week, Sensible BC was reporting only having half the required number of signatures.
Sensible BC spokesman Dana Larsen told CTV News that while canvassers have seen some success in rural areas, connecting with people in Metro Vancouver and Victoria has been their biggest challenge.
“We’re looking at just over half the signatures we need, it’s been a challenge,” Larsen said.
Locally the petition has been driven by Ashlee Taylor, who worked tirelessly since September getting the petition to as many doors in Kimberley and area as possible. This riding came within 100 signatures of meeting the goal of ten per cent of eligible voters. She was scrambling yesterday to get those signatures just to say she got 10 per cent. Other ridings did not do nearly as well
“It truly was an amazing experience,” Taylor said. “I wish it would have been more organized on the larger side of Sensible BC, but once everyone got in place and up and running, things ran really smoothly. If we would have had everyone in place from the very beginning, myself included, then it would have been a very easy task”
Taylor says that support in Kimberley was amazing.
“Kimberley and our surrounding area gave a ton of signatures,” she said. “I certainly feel it was worth it. The people we have met along the way, the stories we have heard, the laughs, the anger — all of it has been an incredible experience.
“The helpful people who were working with my husband and I are such dedicated awesome people none of this would have been possible without them.”
Taylor is fully ready to support Sensible BC if Larsen wants to launch another campaign in the future.
“You can bet we will be right behind Dana Larsen if he starts up another campaign in a year or so as I believe 100% it will succeed now that people have the information on the topic.
“If it doesn’t work out this time...next time it will! No doubt about it!”