‘A little baloney’ in claim decriminalizing pot wouldn’t help youth, stop crime
OTTAWA — “It is important to understand that decriminalization does not achieve either of our objectives, which are, one, to keep marijuana out of the reach of young people and two, to take profits out of the hands of organized crime.” — Michel Picard, parliamentary secretary to the minister of public safety.
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For three years, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has argued that legalizing marijuana is the best way to keep the drug away from children.
His 2015 election platform promised to legalize, regulate and restrict access to marijuana because the current prohibition against the drug is not keeping it away from children and causes too many Canadians to end up with criminal records for possessing even a small amount of pot. Legislation is expected next spring.