Pubdate: Wed, 12 Aug 2015
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2015 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Gloria Galloway
Page: A4

HARPER PLEDGES TO BEEF UP POLICE RESOURCES AGAINST GROW-OPS

A re-elected Conservative Party would give police more resources to 
go after marijuana grow-ops and create a help line for parents who 
are concerned about their children's drug abuse, but Stephen Harper 
says he remains opposed to loosening pot laws.

The Conservative Leader told an audience of supporters Tuesday in 
Markham, north of Toronto, that his party believes the use of illegal 
drugs remains too high in Canada, especially among young people.

"Keeping dangerous and destructive drugs away from our children isn't 
a point of debate, it's simply the right thing to do," he said.

Mr. Harper reiterated Conservative opposition to safe drug-injection 
sites, such as Vancouver's Insite, saying no Canadian wants to live 
near one. The Liberals and the New Democrats are passionately in 
favour of the sites and the Supreme Court has said Insite saves 
lives, but Mr. Harper said Canadians "understand this flows the 
entire drug trade into that community."

A Conservative government, he said, would increase resources for the 
RCMP's clandestine laboratory teams that target marijuana grow-ops 
and methamphetamine labs, it would ask the Mental Health Commission 
of Canada to research the links between substance abuse and mental 
health, and it would support a national toll-free drug help line for parents.

"The hotline will provide parents with advice and guidance to help 
them recognize the signs of drug use and to prevent their children 
from using drugs in the first place," Mr. Harper said.

And, as for marijuana, he said, any move that would encourage its use 
is "the wrong direction for society and I don't think that's the way 
most Canadians want to deal with this particular problem."

The federal party leaders have been arguing about pot since long 
before the current federal election campaign was set into motion a 
week ago. It is a debate that has heated up in this country as 
various jurisdictions across the United States and Europe have 
legalized its use.

New Democrats want to decriminalize the drug and leave the door open 
to additional measures. Liberals want to legalize it. And Mr. Harper 
wants to clamp down further on those who grow and sell it.

"I think the truth of the matter is most Canadians, if you actually 
ask them, do not want the full legalization of marijuana," he said.

In fact, polls are mixed on the subject, but almost every national 
survey conducted in recent years suggests the majority of Canadians 
favour loosening marijuana laws. One poll conducted a year ago by 
Angus Reid Global, for instance, suggested that six out of 10 
Canadians support legalization - though most did not see it as a top priority.

Mr. Harper pointed out that marijuana use has been decreasing. His 
party distributed data from Health Canada to show that the number of 
Canadians between the ages of 15 and 24 who report having smoked it 
at some point in their lives dropped by almost half between 2004 and 2012.

But Benedikt Fischer, a senior scientist at the Centre for Addiction 
and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, said in a telephone interview 
that usage tends to oscillate up and down over the course of decades 
and seems to be unaffected by government policies.

Hedy Fry, the Liberal Party's health critic, said Liberals believe 
legalization and regulation will reduce the ability of children to 
get their hands on marijuana by taking the criminal element out of 
the supply chain.

"The World Health Organization and UNICEF have both said that 
Canadian youth have the easiest access to marijuana of any the OECD 
countries," Ms. Fry said. "The point is the current enforcement 
system is not working."

Murray Rankin, the NDP health critic, said there needs to be more 
study before marijuana laws are reformed beyond decriminalization. 
"There are different models," he said, "and we want to make sure we 
get one that's right for Canada."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom