Pubdate: Wed, 12 Aug 2015
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2015 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Mark Kennedy
Page: B2

TORIES' POT POLICY MAY GO UP IN SMOKE

OTTAWA - 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.

Tuesday, Harper made his move, with an anti-drug announcement partly
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 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 Ottawa Citizen, Trudeau stressed 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
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 the number of Canadians on drugs - especially young
people - is still too high and 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 "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."
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MAP posted-by: Matt