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Libby Davies calls for an end to the criminalization of medical marijuana users

July 30, 2010 Press Release

“The raids on Canada’s Compassion Clubs are an attack on patient’s rights and must stop,” said NDP MP Libby Davies (Vancouver East).

After years of openly supporting medical marijuana users in their communities, a number of compassion clubs in Quebec and Toronto have been shut down.

The clubs serve patients with chronic illnesses and have emerged largely in response to the gaps and problems with federal Marijuana Medical Access Regulations. The BC Supreme Court ruled in 2009 that the program is unconstitutional and needs to be changed, yet the Conservatives have failed to respond beyond the most minimal legally necessary changes.

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Libby attends 2010 World AIDS Conference

June 29, 2010
Updates from Libby

Rights Here, Right Now – the 23rd International World AIDS Conference

Dear Friends,

This year’s International World AIDS Conference held in Vienna will highlight the importance of Human Rights in the effective response to HIV.

I am honoured to be participating in the Conference this year on a panel discussing the topic of Leadership and Critical HIV/AIDS Issues. I will be focusing on harm reduction and the rights of people who use drugs.

In the lead up to the International World AIDS Conference, world experts have put forward the Vienna Declaration, calling for a scientific approach to illegal drugs in the fight against HIV.

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Libby interviews Marc Emery

May 26, 2010
rabble.ca
Marc Emery: An interview before U.S. prisonAs published in rabble.ca Editor's note: The following exclusive interview, recorded by rabble.ca, took place between Libby Davies, MP for Vancouver East, and Marc and Jodie Emery in January 2010 in Vancouver, days before his extradition was expected to take place. Marc, 52, was extradited to the US on May 20th to serve a five-year prison sentence for shipping marijuana seeds to Americans. This far-ranging interview covers the reasons for Emery's extradition, the war on drugs, Canadian sovereignty, and Marc's previous experience in prison.
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An Open Letter to the Public Safety Minister on the Extradition of Marc Emery

May 10, 2010 Open Letters to Ministers & Public Officials

The Honourable Vic Toews
Minister of Public Safety
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A6

Dear Minister Toews,

I write to ask that you stop the extradition of Canadian Marc Emery to the United States and allow him to serve his prison sentence in Canada.

Your government took a rare and unnecessary step today, by extraditing a Canadian citizen to serve a prison sentence in America for actions that are not worthy of prosecution under Canadian laws. Further to this uneven approach, it is my understanding that American officials were amiable to Mr. Emery serving his sentence in Canada. Yet your government has refused to cooperate.

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Time to rethink Canada's Drug Strategy - Libby's letter to the Minister of Justice

March 25, 2009 Open Letters to Ministers & Public Officials

The Honourable Rob Nicholson
Minister of Justice
House of Commons

Dear Minister Nicholson,

I write to draw your attention to the recent study from the Urban Health Research Initiative (UHRI): Effect of Drug Law Enforcement on Drug-Related Violence: Evidence from a Scientific Reviewa comprehensive study of existing English scientific evaluations on the impact of drug law enforcement on related violence.

The study concludes that “law enforcement efforts are unlikely to reduce drug market violence,” including violence attributable to gangs. What is most disturbing is that the scientific review found that 87% of the studies show a link between drug law enforcement and increased levels of drug market violence. This is of particular concern in my riding of Vancouver East and in Vancouver in general where there has been a disturbing rise in drug related gun violence.

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Libby speaking out against Marc Emery's extradition

March 17, 2010
The National Post
MPs move to block extradition of pot activist EmeryVANCOUVER -- Marijuana activist Marc Emery's battle to avoid going to a U.S. prison got a boost this week in the House of Commons. Three MPs -- Libby Davies of the New Democratic Party, Ujjal Dosanjh of the Liberals and Scott Reid of the Conservatives -- presented a petition asking Justice Minister Rob Nicholson not to sign extradition papers that would send Mr. Emery south to serve a five-year sentence for selling marijuana seeds online in 2005.
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Libby on Bill C-475 an Act to Amend the Controlled Drug and Substances Act

Libby Davies's picture
March 9, 2010 Speeches in Parliament

MARCH 9, 2010
HANSARD
House of Commons

Debate on Bill C-475 an Act to Amend the Controlled Drug and Substances Act (Methamphetamines and Ecstasy)

Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP):
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak to Bill C-475. I would like to thank the hon. member for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country for introducing the bill. It is very similar to a bill that was introduced awhile ago. I spoke to that bill and it went to committee. The fact that it is back before the House is evidence of the hon. member's serious intent to bring forward this issue. We certainly appreciate that.

I want to make a few general points about the bill as it relates to the larger issue of drug policy and what we have seen from the government. While on the one hand the bill deals very specifically with substances that are involved in the selling, production or import of amphetamines and ecstasy, as it relates to the larger issue, we have to be aware that reliance on an enforcement strategy and an approach that is focused on the Criminal Code is not going to solve the very major issues we are facing with drug addiction and substance use in our society.

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