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."