Pot legalization disappears as an issue in the federal election
Neither the parties nor public show any interest in discussing marijuana
It was a full two months before this election was called that the Conservatives introduced marijuana as a campaign issue, unveiling an ad that attacked Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau’s pledge to legalize it.
“Legalizing marijuana — is that the biggest problem we have to solve?” the Tory ad scoffed.
Apparently not. All three major parties agree drug laws are not the biggest problem we have, and the issue has fallen off the radar in favour of debate about the economy, jobs, refugees and the clothing choices of Muslim women.
For marijuana activist Jodie Emery, that’s a letdown.
“It is disappointing to see that it’s being looked at as kind of a side issue. I think it’s a lot more important than people realize, and if we were to point to Colorado or Washington state ... we would see that the tax revenue and the job creation is quite impressive,” she said. “It does relate directly to jobs and the economy and health care and the main concerns of most voters.”
Emery had hoped to run for the Liberals in Vancouver East, and would have made legalization a cornerstone of her campaign, but the party rejected her nomination application.
About two- thirds of British Columbians support marijuana legalization, according to the latest numbers from Insights West, with agreement across all age groups.
“A lot of people who want to see it legalized are not even users, but they think that it’s a good way to generate some revenues. There might even be some small- c conservative voters who see some benefit in legalization,” said Mario Canseco, Insights West’s vicepresident of public affairs.
But even if most people believe pot should be legal, the issue ranks low on their priority lists, below things like the economy, health care and the environment.
According to Canseco, it was likely smart for Conservative Leader Stephen Harper to assert his stance on marijuana early in the campaign.
“If they were to come out against marijuana right now, it would probably be distracting from the core issues that they need to win the election,” he said.
It could even turn off some of the soft- right voters who are interested in the economic potential of legal marijuana. That’s why Harper has carefully limited his discussion of the issue to reach audiences more inclined to support his approach.
“When the prime minister visited Richmond, he made it a point to talk about the fact that his government was never going to legalize marijuana,” Canseco said. “It’s the perfect place to do it. Our research has shown that the one group in B. C. that definitely despises legalizing marijuana is Chinese residents.”
NDP candidates have found themselves in a bit of a tricky position when it comes to marijuana. With early polls pegging leader Tom Mulcair as the front- runner, the pressure was on to maintain voters’ support and even lure some voters away from the Conservatives.
“This is one of the difficulties for the NDP. Can you place your policies in a spectrum that makes them palatable for the small- c conservatives who want change, but at the same time not alienate your hardcore base?” Canseco said.
Still, the party’s attempt to bridge the left- right gap on marijuana isn’t likely to lose them many votes, according to David Moscrop, a political scientist at the University of B. C.
“If I can be ever so slightly cynical, I would be surprised — and this doesn’t just apply to the base of the NDP, this applies to a number of voters — if most voters would pick up on” the distinction between legalization, which allows for regulation and taxation, and decriminalization, which simply eliminates the criminal penalties for drug offences, Moscrop said.
Instead of making marijuana a key issue in their campaigns, the parties may be using their positions on pot to give voters an overall impression. This idea is known as the running tally theory, and it suggests voters unconsciously adjust their feelings about candidates when they learn something new.
In the case of pot, “when they hear whether their party is quoteunquote ‘ for’ or quote- unquote ‘ against’ marijuana, they lump them as progressive or not,” Moscrop said. “Later when you go to vote ... you have a feeling — I like them, I don’t like them, they’re progressive, they’re not progressive — but it’s hard for you to communicate why that is.”
A lot of people who want to see it legalized are not even users, but they think that it’s a good way to generate some revenues.