Kash Heed, a long-time law enforcement official and MLA, is calling for the legalization and taxation of cannabis to better protect communities and reduce related organized crime activity resulting from the illegal marijuana trade. In this video, Kash Heed shares his experiences about the devastating consequences of cannabis prohibition, based on his 31 years in law enforcement as a beat cop, a police chief, head of the Vancouver Police Department Drug Unit and Indo-Canadian Gang Violence Task Force. "In the early 1990s, I began to fully recognize the futility and the social, economic and public health costs of continuing marijuana prohibition," said Heed in a written statement. "And I came to one inescapable conclusion—cannabis prohibition fuels gang violence in BC In fact, costly law enforcement efforts have only served to drive the marijuana industry deeper into the hands of violent organized crime groups." In his statement, Heed announced that he is joining Stop the Violence BC (STVBC), a coalition of academic, legal, law enforcement and health experts, and its campaign to reform cannabis laws to reduce the harms associated with the illegal cannabis trade, including gang violence. He joins a growing list of endorsements that includes a coalition of BC mayors, the Health Officers Council of BC, four former mayors of Vancouver and former BC attorneys general, and follows the passing last month of the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) resolution calling for calling for ...