Legalized Marijuana protects Youth, takes Money from Gangs: Justin Trudeau

Posted by Sagar Satapathy on March 07, 2017.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says regulating the sale of marijuana in the country will protect young people and take money away from criminal gangs. He made the comments on Thursday during a visit to Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt in the Victoria area, saying the government is drawing the line at pot when it comes to legalizing illicit drugs.

The Prime Minister said that the new marijuana legislation would be ready by this summer, but his government is not considering the legalization of any other drugs. Around 35 marijuana dispensaries are operating in Victoria, none of which has a business license.

Trudeau said the federal government has two goals when it comes to their approach towards marijuana.

"The first is to protect our kids. Right now we know that young people have easier access to marijuana than just about any other illicit substance. It's easier to buy a joint for a teenager than it is to buy a bottle of beer. That's not right," Trudeau said.

"Secondly, we know that criminal organizations and street gangs are making billions of dollars off of the sale of marijuana. We feel that regulating it, controlling it, will bring that revenue out of the pockets of criminals and put it into a system where we can both monitor, tax it and ensure that we are supporting people who are facing challenges related or unrelated to drug use", he added.

Meanwhile, Trudeau is rejecting recommendations from British Columbia’s top health officials to widen the scope of his government’s decriminalization agenda beyond marijuana to help stem the country’s growing opioid crisis.

The federal government has contributed $10 million to help British Columbia address an improved response to the ongoing marijuana crisis, the Prime Minister said.

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