Canada: Ex-police chief Bill Blair to handle Liberals' pot legalization file

As the Liberal government gets to work on its campaign pledge to legalize marijuana, the former police chief of Toronto will be taking a lead role.

Last month, Bill Blair was named as one of two parliamentary secretaries to the minister of justice. Sources tell CBC News he's been assigned to handle the pot file. 

Blair's new role fits with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's attempts to frame the issue during the election campaign.

The Conservatives tried to use Trudeau's legalization stance to paint him as a lightweight or even dangerous, with last-minute ads in Punjabi and Chinese newspapers suggesting Trudeau supported selling marijuana to children.

In contrast, Trudeau pitched marijuana legalization as a way of protecting children and stopping criminals.

"What is very clear right now is that Mr. Harper's current approach is making marijuana too easy to access for our kids and at the same time funding street crime, organized gangs and gun runners," Trudeau said at a campaign...

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