Pubdate: Sat, 09 Jan 2016
Source: Toronto Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2016 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.torontosun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://torontosun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/457
Author: David Akin
Page: 7

FROM TOP COP TO POT COP

Trudeau Taps Former Chief for Lead Role in Marijuana Reform

OTTAWA - Bill Blair has been tapped to be Justin Trudeau's pot head.

The former Toronto police chief will play a lead role in delivering 
on the Trudeau government's pledge to legalize marijuana.

"There's a great deal of work to do," Blair said by telephone Friday 
morning. "This will be a highly consultative process."

It's also a smart political play by the Trudeau team to put the 
ex-chief in charge.

"Appointing Mr. Blair to head up these efforts shows the government 
recognizes that there is a public safety component to these 
discussions that has to be taken into account, and we look forward to 
working constructively with him on this file," said Michael Gendron, 
a spokesman for the Canadian Police Association.

Rob Nicholson, the Conservative MP and former justice minister, said 
he has a great deal of respect for Blair but his party will still 
fight the idea of legalization.

"To us, it doesn't matter who (the Liberals) put in charge of this, 
we will oppose it," Nicholson said. Nicholson also expects many 
Canadians, particularly those concerned about impaired driving, to 
join the anti-legalization fight. "I think there will be a lot of 
people speaking up on this."

The New Democrats are in favour of decriminalization and will wait to 
see what the Liberals propose on full legalization.

"We're not opposed to sensible reform," said NDP MP Murray Rankin. 
"Decriminalization is essential."

Rankin said the Liberals could show goodwill right now by expunging 
criminal records of anyone with a conviction for marijuana possession.

Blair was Toronto's police chief from 2005 until last April and went 
into politics almost immediately after that. He bested NDP incumbent 
Dan Harris in the riding of Scarborough Southwest in the October election.

He's the parliamentary secretary to Justice Minister Jody 
Wilson-Raybould, put in charge of "a federal-provincial-territorial 
process that will lead to the legalization and regulation of marijuana."

The first task will be to establish a joint task force of federal, 
provincial and territorial officials and Blair will be the key point 
person for the government.

"If our intention is to manage the risks, keep it out of the hands of 
our kids, and get organized crime out of it ... then we need to 
regulate it," Blair said. "Clearly, criminal sanction is not keeping 
it out of the hands of kids."

Blair says he's witnessed the kinds of gang violence that comes with 
the illegal marijuana trade.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom