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More than two-thirds of Canadians want marijuana lawssoftened, though a majority still against legalization: poll
M ARK K ENNEDY , POSTMEDIA NEWS | July 30, 2014 | Last Updated: Jan 24 9:40 PM ET
More from Postmedia News
OTTAWA — More than two-thirds of Canadians want marijuana laws softened, says an opinion poll conducted for the federal
government.
And while a small majority believes companies should not be permitted to sell marijuana just as they sell alcohol and cigarettes, it’s
clear many people have no problem with the proposition.
Among the poll’s highlights:
37.3% say marijuana should be legalized;
33.4% want possession of small amounts of marijuana decriminalized, leading to a fine rather than a criminal record;
13.7% say the marijuana laws should stay the same;
12% want penalties increased.
The results of the national survey of 3,000 people, commissioned by the Department of Justice, will add fuel to the debate that is
heating up before the 2015 election.
TRENDING
LUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Ima A majority of Canadians want restrictions on pot s oftened, but only about 40% want it fully legalized.
8/9/2019 More Than Two-thirds of Canadians Want Marijuana Laws Softened, Though a Majority Still Against Legalization_ Pol…
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2/8/2015 More than two-thirds of Canadians want marijuana laws softened, though a majority still against legalization: poll | National Post
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The Liberals under Justin Trudeau want marijuana legalized so its sale is regulated, making it harder for youths to obtain.
The Conservatives say such a change would lead to more kids smoking marijuana. Instead, the government is considering allowing
police to fine anyone caught with small amounts of the drug.
Ottawa hired Ipsos Reid to conduct focus groups and an extensive poll to gauge Canadians’ views on hot-button issues such as
marijuana and prostitution.
The results were posted online Wednesday.
Related
Marijuana activist Marc Emery vows to campaign for Justin Trudeau — as soon as he gets out of U.S. jail
Full Pundit: Canada regulates everything. Why not prostitution and marijuana sales?
“The government of Canada wanted a clear and current understanding of the Canadian public opinion on a range of justice issues,”
said the report.
“This research was conducted to provide insight into the views, concerns and priorities of Canadians on criminal justice issues.”
The poll, conducted Jan. 30-Feb. 7, found respondents were divided about how the government should legislate on prostitution. In
June, Justice Minister Peter MacKay introduced contentious legislation to prohibit buying sex from prostitutes. It also bans sex
workers from selling their services near schools, playgrounds and daycare centres.
Critics say the bill is deeply flawed and will eventually be struck down by the courts.
By comparison, the poll suggested Canadians are not happy with the status quo on
marijuana.
Many of them don’t think legalization would increase pot-smoking: 52.6% believe
marijuana use would “stay about the same” if legalized, 38.4% say it would increase and
6.3% say it would decrease.
If marijuana is legalized, it is unclear how it would be distributed and who would beallowed to sell it.
To the question, “should companies be allowed to produce and promote the sale of
marijuana just like tobacco and alcohol?,” 55.6% said no and 42.4% said yes.
However, 82.9% of respondents believe doctors should be allowed to prescribe marijuana
to patients — something that is now allowed.
The pollster also organized 14 focus groups of 10 people each to discuss the issue in
depth.
Most focus-group participants supported leaving the law alone or fining people with
small amounts of marijuana so they would not have a criminal record.
There was some support for legalization in focus groups held in British Columbia, but
elsewhere there was “very little support.”
Deputy Liberal Leader Ralph Goodale said Wednesday the poll shows Canadians don’t believe the current marijuana laws accompli
their “public policy objectives.”
“The status quo is obviously failed policy,” he said.
“That’s clearly recognized by the vast majority of Canadians. They come to some different conclusions about what exactly to do abou
it, but clearly they want change.”
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Coyne: Wha t the
Supreme Court's ruling
on assisted suicide
means for Canadians.
Newsbite: February 6,
2015
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2015
Newsbite: February 4,
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Mary Ann Dewey-Plante, a spokeswoman for Mr. MacKay, said Mr. Trudeau would “fully legalize recreational marijuana, which
would make it easier for kids to buy and smoke in their neighbourhoods, like cigarettes today.”
The Liberals want to make smoking pot “a normal, everyday activity for Canadians. We, on the other hand, want to protect children
and teens from the harmful effects of smoking pot on their health and development.”
She reiterated the government is considering a proposal by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police to allow police to fine those
caught with small amounts of marijuana.
The Canadian debate over marijuana legalization sharpened this week after a New York Times editorial called for Washington to
repeal its 44-year ban on pot.
The newspaper, which says the decision should be left to individual U.S. states, has reignited hot debate among Americans.
It concluded the ban has inflicted “great harm on society just to prohibit a substance far less dangerous than alcohol.”
Some U.S. states have already reformed their pot laws. Colorado has allowed the sale of marijuana for recreational use since Jan. 1
and Washington followed suit this month. Oregon and Alaska will vote on the matter in November.
The Ipsos survey of 3,000 adult Canadians was conducted between January 30 to February 7, 2014 and has a margin of error of 1.8
percentage points.
Postmedia News
LATEST CANADA VIDEOS
Find National Post on Facebook
Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian PressMarc Emery and his wife Jodie in Vancouver on May 10, 2010. The pro-marijuana activistsare throwing their support behind Liberal leader Justin Trudeau.
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Most Popular
Topics: Canada, News, Drug Policy, Justin Trudeau, Marijuana, Ottawa
Comments for this thread are now closed.
247 Comments
•
Jonathanrex1 •
"Mary Ann Dewey-Plante, a spokeswoman for Mr. MacKay, said Mr. Trudeau would “fully legalize recreational alcohol , which would
make it easier for kids to buy and drink in their neighbourhoods, like cigarettes today.”
The Liberals want to make drinking beer “a normal, everyday activity for Canadians. We, on the other hand, want to protect children
and teens from the harmful effects of drinking beer on their health and development.”"
Using their same logic, alcohol and tobacco should be made illegal. Why almost anything could be banned (guns, soft drinks, large
dogs, pet snakes, ATVs, swimming pools, video games, violent TV shows, rap music, homosexuality, strip clubs, etc.) using the battle
cry of "think of the children!"
Another fine example of the nanny state at work.
•
Strat57 •
A national survey of 3,000 people, commissioned by the Department of Justice (Frequent Flyer, Peter MacKay) with Ipsos Rei
Why don't I trust them?.....
•
benny1121 •
What seems to be going on is the Conservatives are trying to use confusing poll results to justify positions that make little sens
but notice they did not publish any polls when they cancelled the long gun registry as it is quite possible the majority of
Canadians may have said keep it, even though the registry was never shown to be effective. Criminal justice reform should be
based on what the evidence shows not polls. So much depends on how the questions or framed and the level of knowledge of
particular subject by the respondents. A poll that asks should marijuana be regulated and sold in liquor stores would likely get avery different result than a poll asking if marihuana should be legalized even though they are essentially asking the same
question.
•
e the Purple •
Thank-you for doubling down on prohibition CPC, enjoy your retirement.
anon264543247 •
Great parody, Jonathan! It's exactly the way I would pose the issue. The CPC 'logic' is preposterous and fails on so many
levels.
Legalization would allow so many benefits now enjoyed by the criminal element controlling the growth, trade and sale of
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•
marijuana. Plainly put, would Canadians be better off having marijuana under state control and opposed to criminal control?!
BTW, criminal control ENSURES it reaches the hands of our youth!
•
Lefty •
Anyone who speaks for this jerk clearly has no facts !
•
Voltaire •
37% support is enough to get you a majority in parliament; it should be enough to suggest a mandate on this issue.
•
B Sens •
Looks to me like Harper is in tune with the majority of Canadians while Justin, well, has inherited more than a taste for the bud
from his mother I fear. Even his mother has stated publicly how badly marijuana has affected her health.
•
PresidentRight •
Yes, lets all listen to Justin's Mom.
Back in the real world, numerous doctors and health organizations have loudly and publicly declared how dangerous
tobacco products are....yet they remain legal (and taxed)
The ill effects of alcohol can be seen daily on the streets of Canadian cities, and yet, legal and advertised and taxed.
Also you need to brush up on your statistics. Do the math on the numbers provided. Harper is NOT in tune with the
majority of Canadians.
•
Jonathanrex1 •
I hope you're not a hypocrite and you also support the banning of tobacco and alcohol. They too have harmful effects on
one's health.
•
Canada First •
As usual Mr. Harper is out of step with a majority of Canadians. A majority support legalization or decriminalization. Les
than 30% now support criminalization. The Liberals, Greens and Bloc support legalization. The NDP supportsdecriminalization. The Conservatives support continued criminalization. The only thing worse than the Conservative
approach is that offered by the police chiefs of Canada which is to let the police decide whether charges will be laid or
whether there will be a fine. This means jail time is still an option but now it is the police who decide whether it's a crime
not.
•
Guest •
What a complete load of rubbish from a narrow minded hypocrite
•
canucktwofour •
Links to your claim about M. Trudeau's comments on pot please....
•
Paul Schratz •
Alcohol is already legal, and replete with many, many social and health problems. You want to s ee what happens when
marijuana is added to the mix?
•
ThisGuyRightHere •
Legalization is the only thing that makes sense. Softening the rules but keeping the production and distribution largely in the hands of
criminals or gangs is just dumb. I'm an adult, let me choose what I can do with my own body.
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•
Lone Wolfy •
Allow c itizens to grow their own.
•
Yoda •
That to me is the best solution as it gets rid of the criminal element - make possession , growing it and personal use leg
and sale completely illegal except for "medical " marijuana that can be heavily regulated and taxed.
•
Guest •
I think the government want the taxes, otherwise I agree. Forget about the Whitetailer talking about bikers - That
person is brain dead.
•
hitetailer •
Just what you gonna do when some Bikers come a knocking at 3:00 AM to score your stash? Oh well, guess y
didn't think about that did you! Oh, BTW, they won't be knocking on your door it will be on your head.
•
PresidentRight •
yes, just like all the Bikers showing up to get ahold of my stash of (admittedly rather bleak tasting) wine.
•
Guest •
Are you OK - That hat you have on is too tight
•
Lone Wolfy •
Bikers have their own pot. Your paranoid contention is ridiculous.
•
Mark Bartlett •
Like they do now for booze? Give me a break ... is your grey matter intact? Why would they not just grow their
own when it is legal. Does Harper have morons trolling these boards.
•
Yoda •
Use a mop and bucket to clean up after I am done with them.
I am armed , African and have already survived one war against actual scary people. I think I would be fine.
I don't have a stash , so can never happen.
They will not knock on your door unless you are selling it , that's why grow ops almost always pay "tax" to the
local gangs.
Your point is that we are never really going to get rid of the criminal element in the pot biz?
I think you are correct.
•
B Sens •
You don't think that bootleg liquor and illegal cigarettes don't exist? As an adult I fear you have already hurt your health.
•
Taebok •
Legalize it, don't legalize it.
Guess what? I'm still smoking it.
And you can't stop me.
diane marie •
The police express an interest in staying in the picture through the issuance of fines - this sounds remarkably like a make-work project
to me.
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•
.
•
Dr.RTFM •
Yup; a lot less cops needed when we end prohibition.
•
Decidedly Libra •
That is not true. Most busts for drugs are for a variety of pharmaceuticals, cocaine and marijuana. Seldom are arrests
made for just marijuana. You show me how many police officer positions are going to be eliminated based on the
legalization of marijuana in PEI for example or in Nova Scotia. The problem is that proponents like you keep espousingthe same BS over and over again to people who blindly accept what you say. Guys like me question your conclusions.
Just like the Mafia, marijuana importers/growers will just move onto something else just as enticing and lucrative. Again
look to the example of Portugal:
Reported lifetime use of "all illicit drugs" increased from 7.8% to 12%, lifetime use of cannabis increased from 7.6% to
11.7%, cocaine use more than doubled, from 0.9% to 1.9%, ecstasy nearly doubled from 0.7% to 1.3%, and heroin
increased from 0.7% to 1.1%[14] It has been proposed that this effect may have been related to the candor of
interviewees, who may have been inclined to answer more truthfully due to a reduction in the stigma associated with dru
use.[15] However, during the same period, the use of heroin and cannabis also increased in Spain and Italy, where drug
for personal use was decriminalised many years earlier than in Portugal [15][16] while the use of Cannabis and heroin
decreased in the rest of Western Europe
•
Dr.RTFM •
" show me how many police officer positions are going to be eliminated based on the legalization of marijuana in
PEI for example or in Nova Scotia."
None because reducing the number of cops has proven an intractable problem even as crime rates decline.
As long as we're talking about "espousing BS," what exactly is your problem with someone ingesting whatever
they choose to ingest? It's their life.
•
Mark Bartlett •
You miss the point entirely -- cannabis is FAR AND AWAY less harmful than tobacco, alcohol and most fast foo
-- and we are arresting people for using it ... does that make sense to you? In terms of Portugal -- their HIV and
Hep B/C rates are WAY down ... they have access to counseling ... there jails are not full of non-violent people a
huge costs. BTW -- alcohol is the real gateway drug. http://www.collective-evolutio...
•
Guest •
And you believe this BS - Totally laughable!
canucktwofour •
Think you're right considering this article .....
“Violent Crime Down Since Colorado Legalized Marijuana
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
When Colorado legalized recreational marijuana, critics of the idea warned it would lead to more crime throughout the state. But
the impact has been just the opposite so far in the state’s largest city, which has seen violent crime go down.
Crime data for Denver, the hub of legal pot sales in the state, shows murders, assaults, rapes, burglaries and other violent
crimes declined during the first three months of the year, compared with the same period for 2013.
Homicides went down from 17 to 8 (a 53% drop), automobile break-ins from 2,317 to 1,477 (down 36%) and sexual assaults
from 110 to 95 (down 14%). Overall, violent and property crimes dropped more than 10% from last year to this year during the
first quarter.”
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•
http://www.allgov.com/news/unu...
•
Yoda •
I bet sales are WAY up at McDonalds......
•
canucktwofour •
No doubt convenience store business is booming these days in Colorado.
•
Canada First •
The problem is that Mr. Harper is a social conservative rather than a fiscal conservative. The cost of enforcement of
marijuana prohibition is approximately 400 million dollars per year in Canada. Decriminalization would reduce that cost.
Legalization would bring in government revenues. Eliminating prohibition and initiating legalization would be fiscally
conservative but goes counter to the social conservatism of Mr. Harper.
•
canucktwofour •
I think you pointed out a distinct division that always existed in the Conservative Party in my mind. That is
between Liberian leaning and social conservative types. One thing everyone should be able to agree with, police
are part of government, and continuing to have unpopular and proven unneeded laws on the books means havin
a larger police force and incarceration network and all the frills that go with them than is adequately needed. In th
sense we get an even larger government than is required.
The social conservative make “strange bedfellows” to progress their issues, on the prostitution front they saddle
up with radical feminist extremist types and on the pot front they are on the side of organized crime, even though
they’re likely never to admit either. Even if pot is decriminalized, across the board, it will still leave organized crim
types the sole producers and wholesalers of pot.
•
Canada First •
Yes, I agree. CPC has libertarian members who are fiscal but not social conservatives. However, the party is
now controlled by Mr. Harper, who is a social conservative rather than a fiscal conservatives.
Fiscal conservatives believe in lowering personal income tax rates. In 2005, personal income tax rates were 15%
22%, 26% and 29%. In 2014, personal income tax rates are 15%, 22%, 26% and29%. Mr. Harper has shown no
inclination to reduce personal income tax rates.
Instead he supports tax loopholes which favour the social conservative agenda. His proposed plan on income
splitting will lower taxes on wealthy income earners whose partners remain at home and do not earn outside
income:
http://www.taxfairness.ca/en/n...
This tax loophole is one reason why there will be no money left for across the board cuts in personal income tax
rates. Mr. Flaherty warned Mr. Harper about this but Mr. Harper ignored his concerns. Mr. Flaherty resigned
shortly after that.
•
Guest •
Probably the opposite, you figure arresting someone for a small bag of personal and the officer has a bunch of paperwork and s
on. If they can just levy a fine and move on it gives them a chance to commit that time to other things.
•
Dr.RTFM •
Or get laid off because we don't need them anymore. Gee, and even fewer if we simply legalize altogether.
B Sens •
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•
. .
•
Dr.RTFM •
I don't know? What kind of nut bar thinks the size of the police force should never go down even though crime is
going down?
•
Guest •
Just like the criminal element, the police will move on to other areas of focus. Probably roughly in the same
direction
•
Dr.RTFM •
Yeah, it is rather irritating that we can never seem to reduce the number of cops even though crime goes down;
they will always be busy bodies wanting to mess up someone's life.
•
ThatBCGuy •
Reducing crime by changing the laws doesn't eliminate the criminals.
•
Dr.RTFM • I'm pretty sure the number of people illegally selling booze declined after it was no longer illegal to sell booze. I'm
also pretty sure that many of said criminals then became businessmen since it is always safer to do that than to
run the risk of being caught. But people with a notion of "criminal as identity" have a hard time understanding tha
point.
•
ThatBCGuy •
So why does organized crime exists....because they couldn't get a bank loan to go legit?
The cops are not dealing with recreation users of pot, they have been dealing with the people who steal power to
run the grow op, trash the rental housing they occupy, deal with the guns and the smuggling they "upstanding"
citizens employ to distribute their merchandise while cheating the Canadian people out of the tax dollars from the
sales and income.
•
Dr.RTFM •
"So why does organized crime exists"
Because the government so happily keeps so many things illegal. Did you ever bother to look at how much or lit
organized crime there was in the past? It seems to grow as our government grows. Odd that.
"The cops are not dealing with recreation users of pot"
No; they're dealing with the people who supply those recreational users. Economics 101: as long as you have
demand, anything you do to interfere with the supply will simply result in a higher price, increasing the motive for
people to provide the supply.
•
ThatBCGuy •
Sounds like you didn't make it past Econ 101.
•
Dr.RTFM •
Cute comment that ignores what I wrote; I guess you don't have any reason to disagree with what I wrote, then.
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