Peninsula resident Joy Davies at a medical marijuana rally.

Peninsula resident Joy Davies at a medical marijuana rally.

South Surrey pot-reform advocate ‘optimistic’

Joy Davies seeks support from provincial government for medical marijuana

A South Surrey advocate for medicinal-marijuana reform said she is optimistic the BC Liberals will help aid her cause.

Joy Davies said a number of the party’s MLAs have spoken to her about the issue, and, more specifically, the possibility of striking a committee that will define parameters for a provincial pilot project on medicinal marijuana.

“That’s where everything will happen,” she said. “That’s our primary goal.”

While Davies admitted that she initially thought the NDP would have been the party that would provide the most support, she found that wasn’t the case.

“They just came down and said that they won’t support the medical program. They said that it was within federal jurisdiction and they would only support decriminalization, which doesn’t help sick people at all,” she said.

“I was really glad to see the Liberals, in their responses to us, had moved away from the status quo rejection comment of ‘it’s federal jurisdiction.’

“I know in most minds that shift is nothing; it’s insignificant. But I’ve been politically involved one way or another for 35 years. I know that statement is a big move and that’s why I have hope.”

Peace Arch News