subject: Most Canadians Want Pot Decriminalized/Legalized and Taxed [print this page] Well the results are in, and they are no surprise! In a recent poll, 21% of Canadians said they want soft drugs, like marijuana, decriminalized, and 34% want them fully legalized and taxed like tobacco. 20% of Canadians want tougher penalties for people caught with cannabis.
More men than women believe marijuana should be legalized, and, as expected, younger Canadians (aged 18-34) are more open to legalization or decriminalization than those aged 65 and over. British Columbians are the most open to slacker laws with about half of those surveyed saying they want marijuana legalized and taxed the same way tobacco and alcohol are. While Quebec and British Columbia, the second and third largest provinces in Canada, have traditionally lead the marijuana-reform movement, there's a growing demand for reform in Ontario, Canada's largest province. This trend shows that many of Canad'as major urban centres are becoming more liberal when it comes to soft drugs, esspecially marijuana.
However, the Conservative government has no plans to soften marijuana laws says Pamela Stephens, a spokeswoman for justice minister Rob Nicholson. "Unlike the Liberals, we have no intention of decriminalizing or legalizing marijuana," said Stephens.The Conservatives have also made a host of anti-drug initiatives since taking office. "Our message is clear: if you sell or produce drugs, you'll pay with jail time," Stephens said. While several US states have decriminalized marijuana for non-medical purposes, it remains illegal in Canada unless users have a medical marijuaan license.
The survey was conducted from July 26 to July 28, 2010 and surveyed 1531 Canadians aged 18 and older. It is considered accurate to within 2.5 percentage points.
Most Canadians Want Pot Decriminalized/Legalized and Taxed
