Pubdate: Wed, 07 Aug 2013
Source: Daily Observer, The (CN ON)
Copyright: 2013 Osprey Media Group Inc.
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/udQyY8Mp
Website: http://www.thedailyobserver.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2615
Author: Monte Solberg

UP IN SMOKE

Trudeau Likes Legalizing Pot, but Hasn't Answered the Hard Questions

I have peered into the future and Justin Trudeau was nowhere in 
sight. Not true. I could make him out vaguely through a cloud of 
sweet-smelling smoke. He seemed relaxed. The good news is he wasn't 
at 24 Sussex Drive. The bad news is I only looked ahead a month.

If I'm a mystic, I'm a minor mystic. I have weak and unreliable 
powers but occasionally I guess correctly; kind of like a pollster 
but without the appearance of being scientific. But let's start by 
predicting the past. We know Justin has famously called for the full 
legalization of marijuana.

Good. Very groovy politics. Young people and old hipsters finally 
have someone they can totally relate to. You can almost hear them 
saying, "Justin gets me." Sadly, however, they are also the folks 
most likely to forget to vote.

Hey, I get the arguments for legalization. Who isn't tired of the war 
on drugs? War is such a downer.

Then, of course, Justin tells us that legalization would mean we 
could license, tax and control marijuana. He tells us we would keep 
it out of the hands of young people. Wow, that sounds terrific.

And then, of course, anytime someone says it's about freedom I stand 
and salute. How can you be against freedom? But when you look closely 
at the idea of legalization, problems sprout up like so much B.C. bud 
in a Surrey grow-op.

For instance, if it was legalized, why wouldn't people just grow it 
at home to avoid the taxes? It's not as though growing it is 
difficult. Wouldn't that in turn mean more access for young people? 
What about the difficulties around impaired driving? It's already 
difficult for the police to test for drug impairment. Wouldn't 
legalizing marijuana compound the problem?

Then, of course, there's that small issue of how this would be viewed 
by our neighbours to the south. Crossing the border is already a 
major and costly hassle. But legalize pot and we go from hassle to 
the snap of the rubber glove and massive queues at borders and 
airports. Justin hasn't addressed any of those hard questions and 
that's the way with Justin. He called for legalization and then 
vanished in that cloud of controversial smoke. The questions hang in 
the air, never to be answered because he has already moved on to even 
newer things. Next he will declare the Arctic should be carbon free, 
no one should be mean, we should start every day by looking at a 
picture of a pony, we should imagine world peace, we should like the 
UN on Facebook.

He will drift on the lazy current of progressive opinion, giving off 
positive vibes and thinking good thoughts, but without ever 
explaining or engaging on the facts. Nor will he seriously take up 
the mundane issues at the centre of western civilization. We know 
what he thinks about marijuana, but what about the economy, 
productivity, national security or safe streets?

Some things are just way too boring and complicated. Much better to 
flit in and out like a charming, mischievous elf; majoring on the 
minors, thrilling liberals and, in every sense, stirring the pot.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom