Speaking in Kelowna, B.C., Liberal leader Justin Trudeau said he supports the full legalization of marijuana. It’s a departure from Trudeau’s past stance on the issue: in November 2012, he told a Prince Edward Island crowd that he favoured decriminalization.
Jody Emery, pot legalization activist and wife of imprisoned activist Marc Emery, issued a lukewarm approval of Trudeau’s remarks on Twitter:
Well, to be honest, Trudeau has been a terrible flip-flop on the issue, even condemning legalization last year
— Jodie Emery (@JodieEmery) July 25, 2013
Trudeau also voted FOR mandatory minimum prison sentences for pot. He's a Johnny-Come-Lately. But I'll take it
— Jodie Emery (@JodieEmery) July 25, 2013
Trudeau’s support of legalization goes a step further than the NDP. No doubt concerned with shaking the image of being a bunch of unelectable communist radicals, the NDP supports only decriminalization. One would think a leftist party that’s already in favour of removing criminal penalties would just go all the way, since legalizing pot would allow the government to tax its sale.
In B.C. alone, the pot trade is estimated to have revenues of between $6 billion and $8 billion annually.
“The current war on drugs, the current model, is not working,” Trudeau told the Kelowna crowd.
*Clarification: Trdueau first announced his support for full legalization in Red Deer in January, but nobody really noticed until his Kelowna speech in July.
[image via Ian Sane/Flickr]