Justin Trudeau Discusses Pot With A Concerned Steinbach Mother.

[music]

[crowd talking loudly throughout]

Hi. I work for the local food bank
and a homeless shelter,

and addictions is something we deal with
on a daily basis.

[JT] Mm-hmm?

And I'd like to know your thoughts
on legalizing marijuana.

I think that what's most important

-- if you're working with young people,
you know --

it's essential to keep marijuana
out of the hands of our young people.

It's not really young people.
We're dealing with the after-effects.

[JT] Mm-hm, mm-hm.

30, 40, 50 years old
[JT] Yep.

who have lost their life
due to addictions.

Yeah. Well, listen, addictions are
a problem whether it be alcohol,

whether it be nicotine ... Marijuana is
actually less addictive than many others

but it's not a health food supplement,
and my concern is that right now

we have a war on drugs that isn't working.

We're funneling billions of dollars
into criminal organizations and gangs,

we're having our kids access pot
easier than they're accessing alcohol,

and we need to realize that the
current prohibition just isn't working.

And if we actually start controlling it
and regulating it,

and investing in the kind of research
and public education that we can have,

we can actually keep people
a lot safer in their choices.

Addiction is a real problem,

and it's something that we have to
make sure we're supporting,

but a continued prohibition isn't
going to do anything

about preventing the addiction problems.

So the 50-year-old man
that's life is broken,

you think that it's easier
for me to say to him,

"The government supports
the broken life that you have"?

Like, I have these people in my
everyday world,

that their lives are broken, and more
access to that is just gonna further --

from our end,
more people in our shelters ...

[JT, speaking at same time] And, and,
their lives are broken because of pot.

No. It's one of the leading --
it's the gateway drug to the addictions.

[JT] OK. Yes, yes, the gateway argument
is one that keeps coming back,

which is why, honestly,
I think it's so important

to keep it out of the hands
of our teenagers,

and that's why this current prohibition,

which doesn't work to keep it
out of the hands of our teenagers,

needs to stop. We need to make sure
that we are protecting our kids

from accessing drugs like alcohol,
like cigarettes, and like pot,

but the way to do that is by controlling it
and giving up on this current prohibition.

So my 16-year-old should have
more access than what she already has?

I've already found her --
[JT] No, no, sorry, sorry, sorry.

I've been listening to you.
You need to listen to what I'm saying.

You found your 16-year-old with marijuana?
- Yes, yep, we did.

So the current approach isn't working
[woman] No, I agree it's not working, but --

[JT] to keep marijuana out of
the hands of your teenager.

And what I'm saying is, if we control it,
if we regulate it the same way we regulate

or even maybe slightly tougher
than alcohol,

your 16-year-old won't have easy access
to marijuana, and that's what we both want.

What I'm saying is,
the current approach doesn't work.

So an approach like alcohol would be ...

the way alcohol is monitored
would be a better approach.

It would be a much better approach, yes.
- She's also drinking alcohol,

[JT] OK, well that's ...
[woman] that's being provided to her

by people who are above age,
who are then getting that alcohol

and giving it to her
at the gravel pits here in town.

[JT] Well listen, listen. That sounds like
it's an issue that goes beyond just access.

It has to do with community,
with peers, with parenting,

and these are things that we
do need to focus on as well,

but the fact is, the fact that your
16-year-old has easy access

to marijuana right now means that
the current approach is not protecting her

from marijuana, and I respect tremendously
the work you've done with addiction,

and we need to do more work
on helping people through addiction,

but it's not gonna work
with this current prohibition

that actually keeps easy access to kids,
keeps billions of dollars going into

criminal organizations, and spends
500 million dollars a year on prosecuting,

on going after marijuana crimes,
money that would be much better invested

in addiction programs and in the
social services that will help

people move beyond addictions
to all sorts of things.

[reporter] Une question en francais?
[JT] Oui, bien sur.

[man] Just one second.
I just wanted to let you know,

Candice has done a lot of great work
in our community.

Her husband is the executive assistant
to Vic Toews

[JT] OK.
... and she's done a great job for us.

[JT]
Then your husband knows how the approach,

being tough on crime in the wrong way,
just doesn't work.

Yep, but my goal, my stuff is --
[JT] I'm glad you agree.

-- working with the needy and the poverty
and the homeless in our community.

[JT] And that's what we need to do.
[woman] Separate from who my husband is --

We need a government that's much more
generous and much more engaged,

much more supportive
of community organizations

than this current government is, and I'm
proud to be able to encourage you for that.