Prepare for the Pop!Yesterday Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale had this to say about Marijuana Legalization as a way to combat gang violence fueled by illicit drug trafficking by gangs in Surrey BC.
Police tell us that what is going on is drug crime, that we have rival groups competing for turf on which to sell their drugs. How does Canada's drug policy contribute to this problem?
The issues are often of smuggling of contraband into the country. We put some extra resources into the budget just a couple of weeks ago to improve the ability of the Canada Border Services Agency to be more effective in reducing the flow into the country of illegal, imported drugs.
We are also taking an initiative in regards to marijuana that will ultimately involve the legalization of marijuana, trying to take the whole profit element out of the hands of organized crime.
The present regime with respect to marijuana has obviously failed and failed miserably because Canadian teenagers are among the heaviest users of marijuana in the Western world.
Yet there has been no timeline set by the federal government. When will those changes come?
Municipalities and provinces want to be involved in how this is structured and how this is done. They want it done right and they want to be engaged in doing it right.
That task force involving the provinces and municipalities will be announced very shortly. We'll have a detailed announcement coming in the next several weeks.
Prepare for the pop!