After being an issue that has been seemingly dismissed during this federal election, the faces of the Liberal and Conservative parties butted heads about cannabis at the French-language debate.

When asked about drugs besides cannabis potentially being decriminalized, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau replied with “not at the moment,” sparking a fiery response from Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer.

“So that’s your secret agenda? Decriminalize, legalize, hard drugs?” Scheer said, claiming it was easier for kids to get their hands on illegal substances.

When asked about drugs besides cannabis potentially being decriminalized, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau replied with “not at the moment,” sparking a fiery response from Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Trudeau accused Scheer of fear-mongering and challenged him by bringing up rumours that Scheer would potentially repeal the Liberal law that legalized cannabis across the country.

Scheer denied any plans to reverse current marijuana laws and said he would put more money into policing to crack down on the black market. He added that Justin Trudeau’s government rushed the rules on legal cannabis into law without thinking through or dealing properly with all the consequences.

Scheer denied any plans to reverse current marijuana laws and said he would put more money into policing to crack down on the black market.

Trudeau defended how the Liberals handled the realization of the high-profile campaign promise from 2015, saying “we understand that by legalizing it, there is a process when there is no legal market yet,” but claimed it’s now harder for children to get marijuana.

He also said the laws have helped take a bite out of the black market, which he said makes $6 billion a year, but CTV reports the underground market actually makes $7 billion a year.

Trudeau later took to a post-debate scrum to clarify his stance on legalizing other substances, confirming “we will not be further decriminalizing any drugs other than cannabis.”