you have to understand the canadian spectrum a little, first. the conservatives are somewhere between rinos and right-wing democrats; they're to the left of the democrats on a lot of issues. the liberals are somewhere closer to the green party. and, there's a "new democratic party" that has historically been further to the left but, in this election, has tried to plonk itself somewhere in between the liberals and the conservatives. so, they support decriminalization first, and then a panel to study the issue [which sounds like legalization, but, then, why not just say that?].

what that means is that the liberals command what you could call the canadian equivalent of the tipper gore vote, and that they have to present the issue in a certain way.

of course, they're right, though. the status quo in canada is de facto decriminalization. regulation will certainly make it harder for kids under 18 in most places - this is ultimately a province-by-province issue once the federal law is abolished - to get access, and who argues that this isn't positive? i mean, you can work in a grey area down to 16, but who is in favour of 14 year-olds smoking pot? yet, is that not the average age of first toke?

the media is downplaying the issue. but, i suspect it's a bigger vote driver than is being reported, even if people don't want to actually admit it.

but, will it actually happen? it's a first step. the provinces have to step up and implement it. that's going to happen unevenly. but, it's also a populist issue that will likely threaten right-wing provincial governments, and that in itself is a positive.

expect it to happen fairly quickly in british columbia and ontario. the quebec liberals are strange animals, so that's a little less clear, but it's a matter of time. out east, eventually. the prairie provinces may lag a little. the ndp government in alberta may even use it as an excuse to prove they're not really left-wing. but, you get the point: it's a lot of haggling at the provincial level, after the federal law comes down. which, i guess, is the opposite of the way it's being done in the united states.

www.theweedblog.com/would-a-liberal-party-election-victory-lead-to-marijuana-legalization-in-canada/