Smoking out Canadian political parties' plans for marijuana reform: an election 2015 explainer
Canada has a federal election scheduled for October 19, 2015. Ahead of that date, the country's three leading parties—the ruling Conservatives, the Liberals, and the New Democrats—have staked out different positions on the subject of recreational cannabis.
The Conservatives have committed to more of the same. Meanwhile, the Liberal party led by Justin Trudeau has promised to legalize marijuana. The NDP's Thomas Mulcair has pledged to decriminalize the drug while devoting resources to further study the issue.
Confused about marijuana reform and who has promised what ahead of this October's federal election? Let us break it down for you, point by point.
Shutterstock I've spent the last month researching recreational marijuana as an election issue. The result is 4,500 words spread across three articles (linked below). If you're interested but don't have time for all that, here are the Coles notes.
A) Party positions
1) Conservatives: The status quo.
2) NDP: Decriminalization.
3) Liberals: Legalization.
Stephen Hui B) How legalization and decriminalization differ on the demand side (i.e. how the consumer—you—will be directly affected)
1) Conservatives: The status quo.
2) NDP and decriminalization: It is no longer a criminal offence to posses small amounts of pot for personal use. But, that doesn't make it legal to possess. So, if a cop catches you with a joint, they can't arrest you or press criminal charges. But they could write you a ticket for a fine (like a speeding ticket). And that means your name would probably still go into police databases alongside the word marijuana.
3) Liberals and legalization: Marijuana is legal. But, it will very likely be heavily regulated. So, if a cop catches you with a joint, they can't do anything about it. Nothing. As long as you're over 18 or 19, etc.
Travis Lupick C) How legalization and decriminalization differ on the supply side (i.e. how the producer and distributor—your dealer—will be directly affected)
1) Conservatives: The status quo.
2) NDP and decriminalization: The status quo. Marijuana remains in the hands of organized crime.
3) Liberals and legalization: Marijuana is legal. But, it will be heavily regulated. That will likely mean permits and licenses and rules around who can grow, who can distribute, where you can buy, etc. Rules around THC content, packaging, and advertising (likely no advertising at all). Legalization plus regulation also means consumer protection; for example, health codes will apply, grow-ops will be subject to inspections for cleanliness, etc. It will probably look a lot like tobacco (it will probably not look like alcohol, where government is actually in the sales business and therefore allows advertising, etc).
Shutterstock D) How legalization and decriminalization differ on taxation
1) Conservatives: The status quo.
2) NDP and decriminalization: The status quo.
3) Liberals and legalization: Marijuana will be taxed and likely taxed heavily. (That said, the Liberals have acknowledged that if the price of pot goes up after legalization, people will continue to buy illegally and the regulated system will fail. So even with a heavy tax, the after-tax price of pot is actually expected to go below what marijuana sells for on the street today.)
Read the articles below for more detailed information plus opinions on decriminalization versus legalization from some of Vancouver's leading marijuana advocates.
Series: Marijuana reform in Canada's 2015 federal election
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