Pubdate: Thu, 13 Aug 2015
Source: Toronto Star (CN ON)
Copyright: 2015 The Toronto Star
Contact:  http://www.thestar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/456
Page: A22

ONE TOKE OVER THE LINE

One toke over the line, sweet Jesus. One toke over the line.

That's pretty much how a hyperventilating Conservative Leader Stephen
Harper came across this week as he accused his chief election rivals
of being soft on drugs.

While it may not be top-of-mind for Canadians who are more worried
about the sagging economy and making ends meet, Harper claims Liberal
Leader Justin Trudeau and New Democrat Thomas Mulcair will be the
ruination of neighbourhoods, families and young people if either is
given a chance to govern.

Trudeau wants to "make drugs more accessible to our children," Harper
claimed darkly at a campaign event in Markham on Tuesday, where he
announced new cash for the Mounties to target grow-ops. And Mulcair
advocates "dangerous, ideological policies that . . . encourage the
use of drugs and increase the health, crime and community safety
problems that come with it," he added for good measure.

Good grief. Just how low does the Conservative party intend to stoop?
Painting Mulcair and Trudeau as red-eyed corrupters of the nation's
youth is scraping bottom.

Granted, Harper is in this election to win, and if that means
cynically spooking a few more worried parents' votes into his column
with alarmist exaggerations, so be it. But Conservatives ought to know
that his obsessive, serial fear-mongering on marijuana isn't flying
with the vast majority of voters.

The Star's Alex Boutilier and Bruce Campion-Smith report that more
than 70 per cent of Canadians want Ottawa to either legalize marijuana
(Trudeau's stance) or decriminalize the possession of it in small
quantities (Mulcair's approach). Another14 per cent support the status
quo. Just12 per cent want harsher penalties.

As Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley famously sang in their 1970 "One toke"
hit, an increasingly marijuana-tolerant electorate has made up its
mind. Who do you love? Oh, I hope it's me. I've been changin', as you
can plainly see. And that change is not in the Conservative party's
favour. Not on marijuana policy, at any rate.

By now millions of Canadians have smoked a joint without falling prey
to Reefer Madness, and experts such as the International Centre for
Science in Drug Policy point out that Harper's claim that cannabis
legalization would make drugs more accessible to young people is
bunkum, "unsupported by the scientific evidence." Whatever one's views
on the risks associated with drug use, kids already have ready access.
And legal drugs like booze and tobacco cause far more harm than
experimentation with dope.

Yet the police charged more than 57,000 people last year with cannabis
offences, not counting the serious matters of trafficking, production
or distribution. Though barely half of drug cases result in
convictions, getting a criminal record can affect employment, foreign
travel, even citizenship.

That's why the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police recommended
giving police the discretion to hand out tickets for smalltime
marijuana use instead of laying charges that can result in fines, jail
time and ruined lives.

Before giving any credence to Harper's claims, voters should consider
that Justice Minister Peter MacKay's office just months ago told the
media that the government was "still considering" effective
decriminalization, meaning ticketing for small quantities. In that
light Harper's campaign salvo is sheer hypocrisy.

There are real issues to debate in this campaign. Harper's obsession
with weed isn't one of them.
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MAP posted-by: Matt