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“Tobacco is a product that does a lot of damage. Marijuana is infinitely worse and it’s something that we do not want to encourage.” — Conservative Leader Stephen Harper.

Canadians have one of the highest rates of cannabis use in the world, and the relaxation of marijuana laws is now an election issue.

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It’s a path Conservative Leader Stephen Harper vehemently opposes, using it to drive a wedge between him and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, who wants to legalize marijuana. After Harper clashed with Trudeau over the issue last week, the prime minister was asked Saturday why he was so opposed.

“There’s just overwhelming and growing scientific and medical evidence about the bad, long-term effects of marijuana. We’ve spent a couple of generations trying to reduce the usage of tobacco in Canada with a lot of success,” Harper said.

“Tobacco is a product that does a lot of damage. Marijuana is infinitely worse and it’s something that we do not want to encourage.”

So, is cannabis “infinitely worse” than tobacco?

Marijuana does carry health risks, and there is growing medical evidence about long-term health effects, but there is “a lot of baloney” when it comes to marijuana being “infinitely worse” than tobacco.