BOMB THREAT | Okanagan resident arrested after bomb building supplies found in homes [A6]
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Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013
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Marijuana movement making waves If successful, the initiative could amend the Police Act, directing RCMP not to spend any From businessmen to families and cancer time, money or resources on cases of simple patients, a wide variety of local residents lined possession of cannabis. up in Polson Park to sign onto a province-wide Those who couldn’t make it to the campaign initiative to decriminalize cannabis Monday. launch Monday can sign on at Kush Organics Organizers of the Sensible BC campaign (3004 31st St.), where organizers will be set up for Vernon-Monashee said they were over- from noon to 4 p.m. weekdays until Sept. 20 whelmed with the numbers, and types of peo- and then moving to other locations after that. ple, who came out to support the “We want anybody who is intermarijuana referendum. ested in the idea to come on down,” “At last count we collected 165 said Goble. signatures at the table,” said Boyd For more information visit www. Goble, an organizer. sensiblebc.ca “It’s a lot more than just people “In order to sign the petition, smoking weed,” he adds. “There’s individuals must be registered on medical patients, all sorts of people.” the provincial voters list as of (Sept. The one disappointment to the 9) and may sign the petition sheet day was a theft. only for the electoral district in — Goble “We count on donations to do which they are registered to vote,” printing and supply our canvassers said Chief Electoral Officer Keith with the tools needed to do the collecting and Archer. “The proponent must return signed I was saddened to find our donation can miss- petition sheets to Elections BC by December ing, I hope whoever has it needed the money,” 9, 2013.” said Goble. Marijuana possession cases still account The Sensible BC effort aims to collect signa- for 60 per cent of drug violation reports to tures of at least 10 per cent of registered voters police in B.C., according to Statistics Canada in each of the province’s 85 electoral districts, figures from 2012. But the number of cases including Vernon-Monashee. declined 10 per cent from 2011. The 90-day countdown began Monday for a There were 25,432 police-reported incipetition drive to force the effective legalization dents of all types of drug offences in B.C. of simple possession of marijuana in B.C. last year, a 7.4 per cent decline from 2011. Volunteers for Sensible B.C., led by long- Marijuana trafficking cases declined more time drug legalization advocate Dana Larsen, than 20 per cent to 1,006 incidents, and have until Dec. 5 to collect more than 400,000 importation and exportation of marijuana signatures. The process uses the same law that declined by 40 per cent. forced repeal of the harmonized sales tax, the Marijuana growing cases declined 4.6 per petition to trigger a province-wide referendum. cent, following a 28.6 per cent drop in 2011. JENNIFER SMITH
Morning Star Staff
“It’s a lot more than just people smoking weed.”
JENNIFER SMITH/MORNING STAR
Lumby resident Leo Salvas signs his name onto the Sensible BC petition to decriminalize cannabis Monday in Polson Park.
Police continue to investigate pedestrian fatal
ROGER KNOX/MORNING STAR
Vernon RCMP and the coroner continue to investigate an accident Sunday morning at the bottom of Hospital Hill, on Highway 97. A 33-year-old Vernon woman was struck and killed by a semi truck.
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“We’re still following up, and still talking to witnesses of this tragedy.” — Gord Molendyk
The driver of the truck, said Molendyk, was “shaken up, as you can fully appreciate, and is fully cooperating with our investigators.” Speed and alcohol are not fac-
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Vernon RCMP and the coroner continue to investigate Sunday morning’s pedestrian fatality on Highway 97 at the bottom of Hospital Hill. A 33-year-old Vernon woman, whose name has not been released, was killed after she was struck by a northbound semi tractor trailer unit shortly after 11 a.m. “I anticipate probably within the next day or so, this investigation will be turned over to the coroner,” said Vernon RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk Monday morning.
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tors in the accident. Skid marks were clearly visible on the highway where the driver tried to stop his unit. The driver is from the Armstrong area. The woman was not in the crosswalk at the intersection of 32nd Street and 25th Avenue, but was up the hill a short distance from the crosswalk when she was struck by the truck. She had been on the Polson Park side of the highway. “We’re still following up, and still talking to witnesses of this tragedy,” said Molendyk.
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