Trudeau stirs pot with support for marijuana legalization
Stance brings younger generation into political process, observer says
Justin Trudeau’s announcement this week that he supports legalizing pot was either an attempt to start a long-overdue conversation on a difficult issue, or a naked ploy for votes from people who might not otherwise come to the polls, depending on who you ask.
Either way, Trudeau’s move to become the first major party leader in Canada to support marijuana legalization has stirred the pot.
“I think his attempt here is to bring in a whole new generation of young men and young women into the political process,” said Michael Behiels, a University of Ottawa history professor. “And this is one way that he can do it, by addressing something that they apparently seem very interested in.”
On Wednesday, Trudeau said he favours legalizing marijuana — taxing and regulating it — rather than decriminalization.
The next day, he elaborated, saying his thinking has “evolved” on the subject. He called decriminalization a “good first step” but only legalization and regulation would keep pot out of the hands of children.
“Nobody can argue the current approach on drugs is working. We have to look at something else,” he told reporters in Vancouver.
The issue of legalization is more divided along generational lines than party lines, Behiels said.
While Trudeau has taken a risk, Behiels said, “change doesn’t get done unless politicians, at some point, take a risk. … It’s probably well worth the debate, if he can attract a lot more young people into the political process.”
Trudeau’s move leaves the New Democrats sitting in between the Conservatives and the Liberals on the matter: the official Opposition supports decriminalizing the drug, but not legalizing it.
The Conservatives seized on Trudeau’s view as evidence, in their view, that he isn’t ready to be prime minister. On Friday, NDP deputy leader Megan Leslie accused the Liberal leader of being inconsistent on the issue.
“I thought it was political pandering,” she said. “It’s hard to have a real reaction to his line because I don’t know what it’s going to be tomorrow. That might sound harsh, but that’s how I feel about it.”
“I don’t think that this is his attempt to nuance the debate,” she said. “If you are advocating a position of legalization, I think you need to think really critically about what that means for many other spheres. … You need to think about what are the impacts on health, on the economy, on international relations. None of those are insurmountable barriers, but at the very least you need to think it through.”
Jodie Emery, political activist and wife of Marc Emery, the pro-legalization activist currently in prison in the United States, said Trudeau’s support is “better late than never,” especially in light of two U.S. states — Colorado and Washington — legalizing the drug within the past year. “A lot of people are more comfortable speaking in favour of ending prohibition without worrying about being called pro-marijuana,” she said. “Things are changing, and it’s not as difficult to support legalization as it once was. So it’s much easier for Trudeau to take a stand.”
Bruce Hicks, political scientist at Carleton University, called Trudeau’s support a “smart move,” because it differentiates the Liberals from the other parties.
“Political strategists tend to advise caution, and that makes sense if you’re in first place and the government, but it doesn’t makes sense if you’re trying to become the government. You’ve got to make the bold moves.”
But Hicks said while it’s possible Trudeau could lose support from some older voters, the Conservatives have spent years courting that demographic anyway, and he can’t see the Conservatives making it an issue come election time in 2015 because it wouldn’t win them any new votes.
“It just stops them losing some of their base support to Trudeau, whereas this would probably endear Justin to the youth vote and may even mobilize some people that otherwise wouldn’t vote,” he said.
In his argument, Trudeau has also tried to address health concerns about pot.
“Marijuana is not a health food supplement. It’s not great for you. But it’s certainly — as many studies have shown — not worse for you than cigarettes or alcohol,” he said on Thursday.
But some say Trudeau reinvigorating that discussion isn’t necessarily helpful, because political campaigns can create polarizing, divisive debates about nuanced public health issues. “These issues are much too important to be wrapped up in preelection campaigning,” said Ian Culbert, executive director of the Canadian Public Health Association. “There’s a lot of nuance here, and that’s where the important decisions get made, is within the nuance.
“Its absolutely an important public health conversation that has to be held,” Culbert said. “My concern when it becomes a political debate is that you are left with the extremes.”
On Friday, a spokesperson for Justice Minister Peter MacKay reiterated the government’s stance.
“Our Government has no intention of legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana,” spokesperson Paloma Aguilar said. “These drugs are illegal because of the harmful effect they have on users and on society. We will continue protecting the interests of families across this country.”