Pubdate: Wed, 12 Aug 2015 Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB) Copyright: 2015 Postmedia Network Contact: http://www.calgaryherald.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66 Author: Mark Kennedy Page: B2 Analysis ARE CONSERVATIVES OUT OF TOUCH WITH CANADIANS ON POT? For two years, Stephen Harper's Conservatives have hoped to boost their re-election chances in part by convincing Canadians that Justin Trudeau will put marijuana joints into the hands of their children. On Tuesday, Harper made his move, with an anti-drug announcement partially designed to divert attention from Nigel Wright's upcoming testimony at the trial of suspended Sen. Mike Duffy, and with tough talk about the need to continue the war on pot. "Unlike the other parties, we will not introduce misguided and reckless policies that would downplay, condone or normalize the use of illegal drugs," Harper said. But the Conservative leader may soon find he is on the wrong side of the issue. His approach runs counter to what Canadians appear to want. The government's internal polling reveals that more than two-thirds of the public favour a loosening of marijuana laws - either full legalization or the issuing of fines, instead of a criminal record, for people who possess small amounts. Just 13.7 per cent support Harper's apparent advocacy of the status quo. That could put Trudeau's Liberals in the driver's seat, as they cautiously pitch a plan to work with the provinces to establish a regulated scheme in which government-run stores sell marijuana to adults. In a recent interview with the Citizen, Trudeau stressed that his plan will stem from the "best practices" learned from other jurisdictions where pot is legal. He envisioned a potential scheme in which the "equivalent of a liquor control board" sells marijuana and there are strict controls in place to ensure the drug is not sold to under- age Canadians. Meanwhile, the NDP's Libby Davies told the House of Commons in June that the current "unregulated market" means marijuana is now controlled by organized crime, creating "violence and stigma." The NDP favours establishing a commission to study "all aspects of the non-medical use of marijuana" and propose "an appropriate regulatory regime." Canada is gradually becoming an international outlier - with some American states such as Colorado and Washington legalizing pot and the Organization of American States ( OAS) urging leaders in the western hemisphere to take a more liberalized approach to marijuana regulation. The Conservatives pounced on Trudeau in 2013 after he began musing about marijuana legalization. Now Harper is forced to justify why marijuana is a campaign issue. He said Tuesday that the number of Canadians on drugs - especially young people - is still too high and that Trudeau's plan is "dangerously misguided." People just need to look at Colorado for evidence of how pot is now easier to obtain for kids, he said. Harper claimed that "most Canadians" do not want the "full legalization" of marijuana. That's technically true, but not the whole story. Last year, an Ipsos Reid poll conducted for the Justice department produced some notable results: - 37.3 per cent of Canadians said marijuana should be legalized; - 33.4 per cent said possession of small amounts of marijuana should be decriminalized with a fine; - 13.7 per cent said marijuana laws should stay the same; - 12 per cent said marijuana penalties should be increased; - 52.6 per cent believed marijuana use would "stay about the same" if legalized, while 38.4 per cent said it would increase. As recently as this spring, the Conservatives said they were still considering a 2013 proposal by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police to change the drug laws so that police officers would have the option of issuing a ticket for simple possession of cannabis ( 30 grams or less of marijuana or one gram or less of cannabis resin) in cases where a criminal charge "would not be in the public interest."