Pubdate: Thu, 08 Aug 2013
Source: Midland Mirror (CN ON)
Copyright: 2013 Metroland
Contact:  http://www.simcoe.com/community/midland
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2211

SEED PLANTED BY TRUDEAU

MIDLAND - Federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau pulled the pin on a
political grenade by announcing recently that he favours the
decriminalization of marijuana.

Echoing arguments heard south of the border, Trudeau said it's time
for Ottawa to legalize, control and tax the growth and sale of pot.
Pointing to several studies, Trudeau said, "The road of legalization
is actually a responsible thing to look at and to do."

Publicly horrified, yet privately giddy at this gift, the
Conservatives jumped on the notion of legalization, vowing it will
never happen on their watch.

"These drugs are illegal because of the harmful effect they have on
users and on society," the Conservatives declared on the party website.

A series of attack ads are doubtless in the works in which a
woozy-looking Trudeau will be depicted as a menace to Canadian society.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his crew actually seem to believe
their hardline approach is an effective deterrent to pot smoking in
Canada.

They are wrong.

According to a UNICEF survey revealed in April, more young Canadians
use pot than anywhere in the western world. Twenty-eight per cent of
respondents ages 11, 13 and 15 reported smoking pot the previous year.
An estimated 17 per cent of Canadian adults smoke pot.

In British Columbia, advocates for decriminalization are pursuing a
petition calling for police to end pot-related arrests, and for a
commission to craft a framework for a legal pot market. If they
collect 400,000 signatures, it could trigger a referendum next year.

What would Harper do if B.C. votes to legalize and tax pot?

South of the border, confusion reigns. In Washington State, marijuana
is legal, but federal drug officials recently raided growers at
gunpoint, seizing plants that were destined for medicinal use.

Yet the momentum in the U.S. toward decriminalization seems
unstoppable. Pot is legal in Colorado and Washington. Medical
marijuana is legal in 19 states, and is up for approval in another
five. Most Americans favour legalization.

Now that Trudeau has staked his ground, it will be interesting to see
whether momentum builds for legalization across Canada.
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MAP posted-by: Matt