kerry jang
Tough laws not the answer for B.C. marijuana problem, Vancouver councillor says
By: Richard J. Brennan, The Star
All the tough talk in the world from the Harper government won’t put a dent in B.C.’s often violent marijuana trade, a Vancouver city councillor says.
The comment from Councillor Kerry Jang, a professor of psychiatry at the University of British Columbia, comes on the heels of a letter from eight B.C. mayors urging the provincial government to use its powers to regulate and tax marijuana.
“Marijuana has actually become more available and there’s more crime than there ever has been because of that approach … federal policies have failed British Columbia,” Jang told the Toronto Star. Read more »
Council officially backs Declaration
By: KRISTEN THOMPSON, METRO VANCOUVERThe City of Vancouver has voted unanimously to endorse the Vienna Declaration, an international campaign calling for governments to adopt evidence-based drug polices that reduce harm, rather than tougher laws.
This means that city policies regarding urban health and drug addiction will now be guided by science and data, not ideology, said Coun. Kerry Jang, who brought the motion to council.
“As we get more municipalities endorsing (the Vienna Declaration) it’s saying this is something the whole country needs to do,” Jang said.
Vancouver’s supervised injection site — which research shows reduces the spread of disease, prevents overdose deaths and points users toward treatment — is governed by this principle.
The federal government has tried several times to shut the facility down, arguing it violates drug laws. Read more »
