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SEPTEMBER 26, 2012
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Marijuana laws go to provincial petition Referendum to follow if sufficient support shown Carole Rooney Free Press
Elections BC has approved an initiative petition that proposes eliminating RCMP enforcement of laws relating to marijuana use and possession. A draft bill, the Sensible Policing Act, proposes to amend the Police Act to no longer use provincial police resources on the enforcement of current laws in relation to simple possession and use of cannabis by adults. It would prohibit the
use of provincial police for this purpose, and require police to report to the Minister of Justice in detail for any actual use of its resources. The bill also proposes the province call upon the federal government to repeal the federal prohibition on cannabis, or exempt British Columbia to enable it to tax and regulate it similar to alcohol and tobacco. Elections BC deemed the initiative petition as legally valid, so if sufficient names are gathered, it will be followed by a
referendum. However, KamloopsThompson-Cariboo MP Cathy McLeod says criminal justice is “very clearly” under federal jurisdiction in the Constitution. “Certainly our government has no intention of legalizing marijuana.” McLeod adds she has noted “significant research” in the past few months showing a “direct impact” of marijuana use on intelligence, memory and attention span, and “significant associations” See POT… pageA5
MacMillen’s murderer named The man responsible for the death of 16-yearold Colleen MacMillen, a teenager on the Highway of Tears list who was killed nearly 40 years ago, has been identified by police through a positive DNA match. At a Sept. 25 news conference, RCMP confirmed the man who killed MacMillen was Bobby Jack Fowler, an Oregon man who died in prison in 1996. He was convicted of kidnapping, attempted
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rape and assault, and is linked to the deaths of two teens in that state. MacMillen was found murdered 46 kilometres south of Lac la Hache a month after she disappeared in August 1974. She was one of 17 girls and women on the Highway of Tears list of victims who vanished from highways 16, 97 and 5 between 1969 and 2006. Modern DNA testing methods were used when the E-PANA task force working on these unsolved deaths and disappearance for many years sent samples to Interpol. Police also have new evidence possibly linking Fowler to other victims on the list, including the 1973 murder of Pamela Darlington in Kamloops. MacMillen’s brother, Shawn, spoke at the news conference. “The MacMillen fami-
ly would like to thank the RCMP, and particularly the E-PANA investigators, for their success in identifying Colleen’s killer. “We are simply stunned, and very grateful for their hard work.” He noted it has been “a long way” to find answers, and while the individual will not have to stand trial for her death, the family is comforted by the fact Fowler died in prison, and can’t hurt anyone else. “Colleen was a lovely, sweet, innocent 16-yearold kid, and there are still no words in the world to express how terribly she was wronged. “To those remaining families whose daughters, sisters were also victims, we hope this means they may yet have their own answers.” This is the oldest case to be solved by DNA in the history of Interpol.
Carole Rooney photo
Sweet success… Jacob Anderson, front, had a blast during his turn at the net,
followed by teammates Noah and Dillan Sikiric gearing up for their turns at the Timbits minor soccer final season games on Sept. 22.