Well, the legalization of marijuana, cannabis, was long contemplated, of course, going back to the Le Dain Commission in the 1970s. At least in my community, the great concern about drugs is very little with the so-called soft drugs, but with the harder drugs, which are still illegal to possess and certainly traffic. In many ways, this change, in my view, is actually helpful to the RCMP. They won't be wasting their time with minor possession charges, which, if contested, they would have to prove in the past that it was marijuana and so forth. I would hope that this would free up the police to pursue the real criminals, those that are dealers, particularly in the hard drugs.

The courts clearly treat those matters very seriously, as do the RCMP. As I said, the fact that now the minor charges that used to clog the courts and give people records are no longer before the courts, of course, for possessing small amounts. I would say that this change in the law should actually enhance the ability of the RCMP to pursue the really serious criminals, those dealing in hard drugs. Thank you, Mr. Chair.