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Simplepowa
In Pursuit of Knowledge


Registered: 03/06/09
Posts: 4,310
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Canada Liberal Party Leader Says Legalize Marijuana
#18634470 - 07/30/13 03:26 PM (10 years, 9 months ago) |
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Canada's opposition Liberal Party head Justin Trudeau has called for the legalization of marijuana, putting himself and his party on a collision course with the ruling Conservatives ahead of 2015 elections. Trudeau's stand also differentiates the Liberals from the New Democratic Party (NDP), which has been the progressive party on drug reform, but which only calls for decriminalization.
The Liberals adopted marijuana legalization as a platform plank in January 2012, but Trudeau had previously lagged behind the party, calling only for decriminalization.
Trudeau revived drug policy as an issue when, at a Kelowna, British Columbia, event Sunday, he spotted someone in the crowd holding a sign calling for decriminalization.
"I'll take that as a question," he volunteered. "I'm actually not in favor of decriminalizing cannabis, I’m in favour of legalizing it, tax and regulate," he said to applause. "It’s one of the only ways to keep it out of the hands of our kids, because the current war on drugs, the current model, is not working."
In Vancouver on Thursday, Trudeau elaborated.
"Listen, marijuana is not a health food supplement, it’s not great for you," he told reporters, but added that it was no worse for people than cigarettes or alcohol and he was now willing to go further than just decriminalization. "I have evolved in my own thinking," Trudeau said. "I was more hesitant to even decriminalize not so much as five years ago. But I did a lot of listening, a lot of reading, and a lot of paying attention to the very serious studies that have come out and I realize that going the road of legalization is actually a responsible thing to look at and to do."
The stand places the Liberal Party on a collision course on the road to the 2015 elections with the Conservative government, which is solidly in favour of the status quo, and the NDP, which would only go as far as decriminalizing the possession of small quantities of marijuana.
When Liberals controlled the national government at the beginning of this century, they moved to reform the marijuana laws. But the Liberals only favored a quasi-decriminalization, and they ended up not even being able to move that forward.
The Conservatives have held national power since 2006 and have ratcheted up penalties for some marijuana and other drug offenses. Responding to Trudeau's comments this week, the party said it was staying the prohibitionist course.
"These drugs are illegal because of the harmful effect they have on users and on society, including violent crime. Our government has no interest in seeing any of these drugs legalized or made more easily available to youth," the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
The Conservatives' position on marijuana puts them out of step with most Canadians on the issue. An Angus-Reid poll last fall showed Canadian support for legalization at 57%, and other surveys have polled even higher.
July 26, 2013 Phillip Smith | StoptheDrugWar.org http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2013/jul/26/canada_liberal_party_leader_says
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Carl Sagan - "Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people." --- Robert Pirsig - "When one person suffers from a delusion it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called religion." --- Brian Cox - "[One] problem with today’s world is that everyone believes they have the right to express their opinion AND have others listen to it. The correct statement of individual rights is that everyone has the right to an opinion, but crucially, that opinion can be roundly ignored and even made fun of, particularly if it is demonstrably nonsense."
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something cool
meandering

Registered: 01/30/12
Posts: 1,306
Last seen: 7 years, 7 months
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Re: Canada Liberal Party Leader Says Legalize Marijuana [Re: Simplepowa]
#18636206 - 07/30/13 08:59 PM (10 years, 9 months ago) |
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They had already introduced a bill to decriminalize pot at the time they lost the gov't to the Cons. Cons threw the bill out asap. Cons are dicks.
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HardTrippin
The Ambivalent



Registered: 11/05/09
Posts: 1,303
Loc: Canada
Last seen: 7 years, 8 months
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Re: Canada Liberal Party Leader Says Legalize Marijuana [Re: something cool]
#18636885 - 07/31/13 12:07 AM (10 years, 9 months ago) |
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I was already going to vote Liberal to help with my student debt after I get out of school. This just makes the decision that much sweeter. If people who are planning to vote NDP but really just don't want a conservative government would wake up and realize NDP won't win and instead give their votes to Trudeau then Liberals could easily win the next election. Harper is probably hoping for opposition voters to be split this way.
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Le_Canard
The Duk Abides


Registered: 05/16/03
Posts: 94,392
Loc: Earthfarm 1
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Re: Canada Liberal Party Leader Says Legalize Marijuana [Re: HardTrippin]
#18637169 - 07/31/13 02:17 AM (10 years, 9 months ago) |
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Good luck Canadians. I hope a Conservacrazy mega-rich asshole won't try to buy the election like they do here in the good old USA.
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digitalemu
Digital Emu

Registered: 09/01/10
Posts: 302
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Re: Canada Liberal Party Leader Says Legalize Marijuana [Re: HardTrippin]
#18637773 - 07/31/13 08:30 AM (10 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
HardTrippin said: I was already going to vote Liberal to help with my student debt after I get out of school. This just makes the decision that much sweeter. If people who are planning to vote NDP but really just don't want a conservative government would wake up and realize NDP won't win and instead give their votes to Trudeau then Liberals could easily win the next election. Harper is probably hoping for opposition voters to be split this way.
Election promises are meaningless. Politicians in Canada are not held accountable to their election promises and can break the promises without any repercussion. The best voting choice to make is to try to even things out so that there is no majority government. A majority Liberal government would be just as bad for Canada as the Conservatives are but just another flavor of bad.
Edited by digitalemu (07/31/13 08:30 AM)
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OddEye


Registered: 10/08/04
Posts: 453
Last seen: 6 years, 3 months
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Re: Canada Liberal Party Leader Says Legalize Marijuana [Re: digitalemu]
#18638756 - 07/31/13 12:11 PM (10 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
digitalemu said:
Quote:
HardTrippin said: I was already going to vote Liberal to help with my student debt after I get out of school. This just makes the decision that much sweeter. If people who are planning to vote NDP but really just don't want a conservative government would wake up and realize NDP won't win and instead give their votes to Trudeau then Liberals could easily win the next election. Harper is probably hoping for opposition voters to be split this way.
Election promises are meaningless. Politicians in Canada are not held accountable to their election promises and can break the promises without any repercussion. The best voting choice to make is to try to even things out so that there is no majority government. A majority Liberal government would be just as bad for Canada as the Conservatives are but just another flavor of bad.
Wise word, I'd rather have a maj liberal then maj con tho, but a minority gov would be the best.
-------------------- I'm at the highest peak, still glad the meak is understandin' me Artillery, thoughts of killin' me is just a fantasy The man in me is ready for war, like Holyfield-Tyson IV
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