VICTORIA -- Pot activist Dana Larsen says his petition campaign to decriminalize marijuana sparked a buzz across British Columbia and he's planning to fire up a second petition drive soon.
Larsen said Monday his bid to use B.C.'s direct democracy laws to force a provincewide vote on marijuana laws fell short by about 100,000 signatures, but he's vowing to launch a second petition before the next federal election in 2015.
Larsen's "Sensible BC" campaign collected about 210,000 signatures since the summer in an attempt to eventually propose a law that would prevent police from enforcing simple marijuana possession laws.
Legislation rules say Larsen must collect just over 300,000 signatures by Monday's deadline to force either a vote in the legislature or a non-binding referendum. Larsen was preparing to hand over the signatures to Elections BC on Monday.
"I feel pretty good overall with what we've accomplished here," said Larsen. "Getting 210,000 signatures with an army of volunteers in 90 days is quite an accomplishment. Our referendum system in B.C. is brutally difficult to get on the ballot."
He said his petition would have succeeded in Washington or Oregon where the sign-up period is longer, fewer signatures are required and the disclosure rules about where potential voters live are not as strict.
Several former B.C. politicians have thrown their support behind the decriminalization of marijuana, and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has been outspoken about his support for legalization, taxation and regulation of pot.
The Liberal government in B.C. has largely avoided marijuana reform, saying drug laws are in the federal government's jurisdiction.
