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Canadian Politicians Comment on Cannabis Policy
Liberals, Conservatives are not high on decriminalization of marijuana
Green Party would legalize it, while NDP favours softening of laws
April 18, 2011 - Postmedia News
Canadian Students for Sensible Drug PolicyFor information on the main parties' positions on drugs and drug policy visit the Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy website:
Drugs & Party Platforms

Stephen HarperStephen Harper

"We will not be reintroducing the Liberal government's marijuana decriminalization legislation," he told a meeting of the Canadian Professional Police Association. "I thought we might find a receptive audience here," he told his audience after winning a round of applause.
April 3, 2006 - Ottawa (Reuters via CNN.com)
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The father of a three-year-old girl and five-year-old boy said he doesn't buy arguments that alcohol is more harmful than smoking marijuana. "As a parent, I would be more concerned about pot use than alcohol use by my children, even in moderation," said Harper, an asthmatic who has never smoked.

Michael IgnatieffMichael Ignatieff

"Ignatieff said Liberals would reintroduce [Martin] Cauchon's bill to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana for recreational use, while [MP Marlene] Jennings added that the process for obtaining medical marijuana, already legalized under the Chretien government, would also be streamlined."
Examiner.com - Montreal
September 28th, 2010 Source
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“I never make comments on the personal lifestyle choices of my colleagues and friends, and I've never felt that marijuana use or, for example, possession of small amounts of marijuana are to be criminalized or that anybody should suffer consequences for personal recreational uses of marijuana"
Nov. 19, 2010 - GlobeAndMail.com source

Conservative Party
Tim Hudak Tim Hudak - Ontario Tory Leader
Despite his past dalliance with dope, Hudak said he does not support the decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana. “I think we still need to set a very clear direction that drug use is wrong and these criminal activities need to be taken very seriously.” source
Blake Richards

Blake Richards - Conservative Party - Wild Rose, AB
"I have strong concerns of legalizing marijuana, and I am not supporting legalizing marijuana or any kind of drug." source

Cathy McLeod

Cathy McLeod - Conservative Party - Thompson-Cariboo-Shuswap, BC
"Marijuana, whether you're talking about the effects, the toxicity in terms
of the human body are incredible. To legalize a substance that is incredibly toxic and is going to create a huge impact on our health-care system cost doesn't really make sense." source

Randy Kamp

Randy Kamp - Conservative Party - Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge-Mission, BC
"Do we have any intent to legalize marijuana? The answer is no," although
possession of small amounts has been largely decriminalized, Kamp said. source

Rob Zandee

Rob Zandee - Conservative Party - British Columbia Southern Interior
I don't know enough about it to know if I support the legalization of it or not, I know there's a lot of issues surrounding, if we legalize it there's going got be some serious issues going across the border ...I would think that's one of the largest influences if we're going to look at that." source

Mike Allen

Mike Allen - Conservative Party - Tobique-Mactaquac, NB
[Allen] questioned the benefit of giving someone a criminal record for
being in possession of a joint. He also saw potential for medical use of
cannabis.
"But, at the end of the day, it would not be our party's position to
legalize marijuana,"explained Allen. source

John Weston John Weston - Conservative Party - Squamish, BC
Weston was opposed [to legalization] on the grounds that marijuana is an entry-level drug. “The Conservatives have brought in a series of laws that will crack down on drug related crime.” source
 
Liberal Party
Keith Martin

Keith Martin - Liberal Party - Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca, B.C.
TVO: The Agenda with Steve Paikin
Broadcast date: June 26, 2009 - TVO website

Liberal MP Keith Martin on why it's time for Canada to decriminalize marijuana.

Dalton McGuinty

Liberal Premier of Ontario Dalton McGuinty

He said he doesn't condone drug use of any kind when it comes to his own teenage children. source

Brian Tobin

Former Liberal Premier of Newfoundland Brian Tobin

"It is one thing to talk about decriminalization, that I would support. It is quite another to talk about legalization, that I would definitely not support ... I don't think that a young teenager who has experimented with marijuana and has been caught doing that should carry a criminal record." source

Brenda Jagpal

Brenda Jagpal - Liberal Party - British Columbia Southern Interior
I haven't looked at the party policy. My personal opinion is it should be legalized or controlled. Government doesn't need to control peoples' lives, they need to control their own lives." source

Geoff Fleischer

Geoff Fleischer - Liberal Party - Vancouver Island North, BC
"The Liberals were close to decriminalizing marijuana," said Liberal
candidate Jeff Fleischer. "It makes no sense to criminalize youth for
something similar to alcohol." source

Sally McGrath

Sally McGrath - Liberal Party - Tobique-Mactaquac, NB
Liberal candidate Sally McGrath opposes legalization, saying marijuana
induces psychotic states and is dangerous.
"A party that would legalize that, regardless of the financial incentives,
would be foolish," McGrath said. "We cannot legalize drugs that cause
psychotic states, we just can't do that." source

Ian Sutherland Ian Sutherland - Liberal Party - Squamish, BC
Sutherland said he supports decriminalization. source
   
New Democratic Party
Ross Landry

N.S. Justice Minister Ross Landry

Landry suggested to reporters at Province House on [April 1, 2010] that his department will probably eventually discuss whether prosecuting someone for possessing a small amount of marijuana is a good use of resources.
"We have to be more efficient on how you process someone who's in a small possession of marijuana, and the cost to justice. Whether it goes beyond that at this time, I think it needs further examination and reflection." source

Bill Blaikie

NDP MP Bill Blaikie
Deputy Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons

"I think it's long overdue that we stop making criminals out of people who choose to smoke marijuana," said MP Bill Blaikie. source

Lorne Nystrom

NDP MP Lorne Nystrom

He called on the government to legalize marijuana to take distribution out of "criminal hands." source

Joe Comartin

NDP Justice Critic Joe Comartin

Windsor, Ont., MP Joe Comartin, who said he has never smoked pot, suggested that marijuana be legalized and distributed by a government-regulated agency "like a liquor control board." source

Alexa McDonough

Former NDP Leader Alexa McDonough

"I think it is madness for young people to end up with criminal records for the simple possession of marijuana," said NDP leader Alexa McDonough to a cheering crowd on MuchMusic. source

Howard Hampton

Former NDP Leader Howard Hampton

Mr. Hampton, who says he tried it in university, wants possession of marijuana handled outside the Criminal Code. source

 

Jeff Horvath - NDP - Wild Rose, AB
"I am supportive of the medical use of marijuana, but I feel that I am torn in the middle [about legalization]." source

 

Alex Atamanenko - NDP - British Columbia Southern Interior
"There has to be certainly a decriminalization. We have to look at this to make sure we get the criminal element out and make sure there is a sensible policy that's developed in this whole area of legalization and decriminalization." source

 

Bill Forst - NDP - West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country, BC
"... believes the best way to deal with the drug is to legalize it, regulate it and control it." source

 

Catherine Bell - NDP - Vancouver Island North, BC
"I mis-spoke yesterday, and said the NDP is in favour of legalization of marijuana," said Bell. "Actually the NDP is in favour of decriminalization of marijuana for adult use."
"New Democrats oppose a Bush-style war on drugs, which Stephen Harper is in
favour of," Bell continued. "The U.S. approach, which Stephen Harper
favours, is not working." source

 

Alice Finnamore - NDP - Tobique-Mactaquac, NB
Legalizing it, she said, would not only save tax dollars, but would free up
the justice system to concentrate on more important criminal activity.
"That is why the New Democrats support the legalization of marijuana,"
Finnamore said. source

 

Green Party
Elizabeth May

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May

The leader of Canada's Green Party, unveiling an election platform that includes a proposal to legalize marijuana. source

 

Aden Murphy - Green Party - Westlock - St. Paul, AB
"To take the topic of gangs, you need to cut their revenue, primarily drugs, primarily marijuana. Our current system been unable to fix this and so in response, the Green Party has a simple and innovative solution to cripple gang funding: free up over $100 million in law enforcement and reduce the number of people drawn into hard drugs. The solution? Legalize, regulate and tax marijuana." source

 

Lisa Fox - Green Party - Wild Rose, AB
"I do not support legalization of marijuana, but I do support decriminalization" source

 

Brian Newbold - Green Party - Fleetwood-Port Kells, BC
"Having marijuana illegal doesn't stop anyone from using it. We think it should be regulated like alcohol or tobacco," he said, drawing cheers from
his young audience. source

 

John Fryer - Green Party - Nanaimo-Alberni, BC
"We will decriminalize it, if elected," he said to applause. "We'll allow it
to be made for sale, regulated like (alcohol is) in liquor stores
." source

 

Andy Morel - Green Party - British Columbia Southern Interior
"As far as the Green Party is concerned, we believe in the legalization of marijuana. But we also believe in the strict control for adult use only." source

 

Philip Stone - Green Party - Vancouver Island North, BC
"The war on drugs has done nothing to decrease use ... in fact it has
increased," said Stone. "Prohibition does not work ... we should legalize it
and eliminate organized crime
." source

 

Hondo Arendt - Green Party - Skeena-Bulkley Valley, BC
Arendt said his party does not recommend the use of marijuana but does support the decriminalization of marijuana because the costs of clamping down on it are too high especially compared to the revenue it could produce if it was a government run system.
"We don't believe the current system really restricts it. Any teen will tell
you they have more access to marijuana than alcohol so the system isn't
blocking access to it at all." source

 

Donovan Cavers - Green Party - Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo, BC
Green candidate Donovan Cavers faced heat for his party’s position on legalizing marijuana, but he defended the party’s platform and argued prohibition has “utterly failed.” source

 

Mark Glass - Green Party - Tobique-Mactaquac, NB
"We legalize it, we regulate it and we tax it." Glass noted gambling, alcohol and
tobacco - all considered harmful to society - are legal substances. The
government allows their sale and collects the taxes, he said.
He said government should take a step away from morality and use some common sense, noting it sees few results from the millions of dollars spent trying
to bust grow-ops and trafficking rings. They would be better off selling it
and collecting taxes, he said.
"It would generate $1.5 billion in real money," he said. "We take it off the
streets and put it back into society." source

 

Alan Coxwell - Green Party - Prince Edward-Hastings, ON
The crowd, which gathered Thursday night at the Belleville Legion, was quiet
and respectful for the majority of the two-hour session but, at times, such
as when Green Party candidate Alan Coxwell said his party would legalize
marijuana
, the crowd erupted in boos. source

Blair Wilson - Green Party - Squamish, BC
"We should tax it; we should regulate it; and we should get the money out of the hands of gangs that cause problems in our cities." source

   


Canadians deserve to be told the truth about how prohibition is harming our country.

The longer we continue with cannabis prohibition
the longer we fund the growth of organized crime in our country.

Cannabis prohibition will never succeed in reducing the supply.
"Getting tough" with a harsher form of prohibition only exacerbates the problems
by increasing the profits of organized crime and increasing corruption and violence.

"The continued prohibition of cannabis jeopardizes the health and well-being of Canadians
much more than does the substance itself
."
Source: Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs, 2002 www.SenateReport.ca

A large majority of Canadians support cannabis law reform.
Ending cannabis prohibition is in the best interest of ALL Canadians.
Where are the politicians of integrity who dare speak the truth?



 

Politicians who support prohibition are supporting organized crime

Cannabis prohibition is expensive, ineffective, and causing significant harms to Canadian society.
For the good of ALL Canadians, it's time to end cannabis prohibition.

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