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Cannabis petition snowballs in size, signatures

The Sensible B.C. cannabis referendum campaign is doing well in the Penticton and Boundary-Similkameen ridings with one-third of the signatures needed already collected.
Image Credit: Carlos Osorio/AP

PENTICTON - The more the merrier is proving true for the Penticton portion of the Sensible B.C. cannabis referendum campaign.

The push to get signatures to trigger a referendum on legalizing marijuana has been going well in its second month Sensible B.C. Penticton and Boundary-Similkameen ridings co-ordinator Amanda Stewart said.

Sensible B.C. has been authorized by Elections B.C. to collect signatures from 10 per cent of eligible voters in each of B.C.'s 85 ridings. Success could start a referendum or the legislature voting on the matter. The petition has until December to collect 400,000 signatures.

Stewart didn't have exact figures when she was called on Friday but said she is near a third of the votes she needs from one of the ridings. She hopes to get 4,300 signatures from the southern riding and 6,500 signatures from the Penticton riding and add them to the signatures being gathered from across the province. She has 70 canvassers in both areas and she herself takes 20 signatures a day.

To boot, more and more canvassers are joining, there are now six businesses in Penticton holding petitions and groups of people are heading to the Boundary-Similkameen to help the volunteer base there.

At the Oliver's Festival of the Grape 10 volunteers got 300 signatures alone.

"People were going to get their sister and were coming back," to sign Stewart said.

Wine festivals have also been good for canvassers.

"They get a good drink in them... and they are hunting us down."

She said the more people that sign the petition the more attractive it becomes for others to sign.

The goal of the campaign is to not only legalize cannabis but to take pressure off law enforcement and provide the plant to those with chronic medical conditions.

For those wanting to learn more go to Sensible B.C.'s website or its Facebook page. Would-be volunteers can contact Stewart at astewart@img.net or call 250-770-8171.

To contact a reporter for this story, to send photos or videos, email Shannon Quesnel at squesnel@infotelnews.ca, call 250-488-3065, tweet @shannonquesnel1 or @InfoNewsPentict

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