It's interesting, because someone approached me the other day and said, “I didn't know that marijuana is so much stronger today than it was when I was a kid”. In fact, there are experts who think that we've underestimated, and that it's actually much stronger, but we used very credible researchers, very credible experts, to ensure that what is in these ads is completely defensible. I'd be happy to share any of that information from Health Canada.
I commend Health Canada for doing this. I don't think we've had an anti-marijuana smoking-cessation campaign for a.... Well, I don't even know if we've ever had one in Canada. What we know, I think it's from UNICEF, is that our kids are smoking more pot per capita than anywhere in the world. We know that the experts are saying very clearly that it's harmful to the development of their brains. That's not only in terms of mental health issues, but serious mental health issues such as psychosis and the onset of schizophrenia.
I could give you reams of documents from very credible experts who say the same thing. The former head of the CMA said it's dangerous. The current head of the CMA said, “Any effort to highlight the dangers, harm and potential side effects of consuming marijuana is welcome”. Addiction specialists are struggling, people who are dealing with these kids in their offices are struggling, and rehab specialists are struggling.
Kids are using more and more of this. People are putting it in the form of candy now, and giving it to kids in grade school. I mean, this stuff is more addictive. This is not the pot of the 1960s, and it's really difficult for parents because they're up against the idea that it's normal, that it's like smoking cigarettes, and that it's not as harmful as alcohol. Well, alcohol is harmful; smoking cigarettes is harmful. We have smoking-cessation campaigns for tobacco. We don't want people to drink a lot. We have all kinds of ad campaigns about alcohol abuse, yet somehow we're not supposed to have an ad campaign about kids smoking pot. It's nuts.
I can't believe the reaction of people from a partisan point of view. This is based on science. Parents are struggling with their kids, who are clearly being impacted mentally and physically, and it would be irresponsible for us not to do a public awareness campaign. So I think in the face of accusations where the Liberals are normalizing marijuana so that somehow this is a partisan campaign, this is absolutely ludicrous. It's based on science, it's necessary, and we'll continue with it.