Pubdate: Thu, 08 Aug 2013
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2013 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact: http://www2.canada.com/theprovince/letters.html
Website: http://www.theprovince.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author: Michael Smyth
Page: A6

TRUDEAU'S BOLD POT GAMBIT SHORT ON SUBSTANCE

When the times they are a-changin', it's usually not a bad idea for an
ambitious politician to be at the front of the parade of evolving
public opinion.

Such is the case with federal Liberal leader Justin Trudeau, who
strategically chose pro-pot B.C. to voice his support for marijuana
legalization.

"Tax and regulate," Trudeau told B.C. supporters. "It's one of the
only ways to keep it out of the hands of our kids because the current
war on drugs, the current model isn't working."

So is Trudeau leading the parade on this one? Or is he so far in front
of it that he can't even hear the band playing anymore?

Recent public-opinion surveys show support on the rise for legal
marijuana, but Trudeau's comment still triggered instant attacks from
Stephen Harper's governing Conservatives.

"These drugs are illegal because of the harmful effect they have on
users and on society," Dan Hilton, the Conservative Party's executive
director, wrote in a fundraising pitch to party members.

"Our government has no interest in seeing marijuana legalized or made
more easily available to youth."

Trudeau no doubt knew the Tories would use his pro-legalization stand
to fire up their own anti-pot base of right-wing supporters.

But I suspect he doesn't care, since anti-drug hardliners are unlikely
to vote Liberal anyway.

Instead, Trudeau's marijuana stand is aimed at young voters, and is
also designed to steal away support from the New Democratic Party.

When a marijuana-legalization initiative was on the ballot in
Washington state last year, turnout among young voters more than
doubled. The Liberals would love to duplicate that in Canada with
their youth appealing leading man.

And you can bet the NDP - which favours simple decriminalization, not
full legalization, of pot - is nervous about Trudeau's move.

"The Liberals are decoding what they think some people want to hear,"
federal NDP leader Thomas Mulcair told me.

"They'll talk about it (marijuana legalization). They might even
promise it. But then they'll never do it."

Former NDP premier and Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh thinks the New
Democrats protest too much.

"Justin Trudeau has taken a courageous position while the NDP has
taken a timid one," Dosanjh said.

"I'm sure the NDP are kicking themselves and saying, 'We should have
done the same thing.' "

But former Conservative MP Stockwell Day thinks Trudeau's simplistic
position shows he's unqualified to be prime minister, and he should be
"smoked out" on what legal pot would mean for Canada.

"Since government could never legalize the brands that boast the most
toxic levels of THC - which many users crave - what would be the
sentence handed out to dealers pushing supremo pot?" Day asks.

A reasonable question, one of several that will confront Trudeau on
his bold marijuana gambit.
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MAP posted-by: Matt