Although the national Liberal Party passed a policy resolution at its recent convention in Ottawa stating the party would legalize marijuana, regulate production and undo the criminal records of people charged with possession under some circumstances, MP Judy Foote remains unconvinced.
She said it's an issue that needs further study before she would support it as a part of an election platform.
Ms. Foote, Member of Parliament for Random-Burin-St. George's, said significant debate took place before the resolution, which was put forward by the Young Liberals.
She said only one-third of the delegates were Young Liberals, and since the issue got a clear majority of 77 per cent in favour, clearly there were others besides the young people who supported the motion.
She understands the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes and has heard stories of cancer patients who have found the only relief they can get from smoking marijuana.
"We had medical doctors at the convention saying it should be legalized, young people saying it should be legalized, but on the other side you had people saying they were concerned that if it were legalized, there would be more consumption of it," Ms. Foote said.
She said there were others on the pro side saying if it were legalized the usage of it would actually go down.
"So there is a lot of debate out there about whether this is a path you want to go down, but I'd much rather have an open discussion and see where it takes us," Ms. Foote said.
She said there are those who point to alcohol and smoking being legal, with rules and regulations that govern it, but right now there are no rules or regulations governing the use of marijuana.
"If it (marijuana) were legalized, there would be rules governing it, so you wouldn't have those who were selling it under the table, probably those who are associated with gangs, providing marijuana to people who are underage," Ms. Foote said.
She recognized part of the argument is that if you legalize marijuana, then you put into place rules and regulations that govern its usage with respect to age and the availability of it.
"If you legalize marijuana, you would be sure the product you are selling is a good product. Sometimes now you don't know what you're getting when you're dealing with people who are selling it on the black market," Ms. Foote said.
There are all kinds of arguments for and against legalizing marijuana and she said she has been listening to all sides of the issue.
"But I still want to know more about it. I want more research done before the (Liberal) party takes this as part of its platform," she said.
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