Cannabis crusader Dana Larsen will be in Prince Rupert today to present a special award to the local RCMP.
"Prince Rupert RCMP recently raided the local bong shop, after a mind-boggling six month investigation," said Larsen.
"Now they're threatening other retailers in town. I felt that this incredible waste of time deserved some public recognition."
Larsen has had a trophy made to commemorate this six-month investigation, and today at 2:30pm he will try to present it to the Prince Rupert RCMP at 100 West 6th Ave.
"I will be giving a short talk outside the Prince Rupert RCMP station today, and then present the trophy to the police," said Larsen.
"There are hundreds of shops selling bongs, pipes and vaporizers across Canada. Most police detachments have decided that bongs are not a police priority," said Larsen.
"Only in Prince Rupert are the RCMP wasting precious resources to stop the sale of these harm-reduction devices."
Section 462.2 of the Criminal Code, passed by the Conservative Mulroney government in 1988, prohibits "instruments or literature for illicit drug use."
"The literature ban was deemed unconstitutional in 1994," said Larsen.
"The ban on bongs seems equally unconstitutional, and can likely be defeated in court. This is why the police make seizures but don't lay charges - they know the law is weak. We are currently in consultation with legal and constitutional experts to determine the best course of action."
"Waterpipes and vaporizers a safer way to consume marijuana, and are critically important medical devices for the many legal medical marijuana users in Canada," said Larsen.
"This RCMP action wastes taxpayers money, doesn't stop anyone from smoking pot, and results in real harms to the medical marijuana community."
Larsen claims the bong busts are part of a trend towards increasing RCMP resources being spent on small-time marijuana enforcement.
"Charges for marijuana possession have more than doubled in BC since Harper came to power. Now the cops have started going after bong shops. This is exactly the kind of wasted time the Sensible BC campaign is trying to end. Don't the RCMP have anything better to do?"
Larsen's Sensible BC will be collecting signatures from across the province for 90 days, starting in September. If they can collect signatures from 10% of registered voters in every electoral district, then in 2014 there will be a referendum vote to effectively decriminalize marijuana possession in BC, by redirecting police resources towards more serious criminal offences.