The Liberal Party is committed to legalizing and regulating marijuana, said leader Justin Trudeau at a campaign stop in Surrey, British Columbia Sept. 30.

"It is our intention to stop Mr. Harper's failed approach on marijuana," he said.

He characterized Harper's refusal to change Canada's cannabis laws as a policy that "endangers our children" and finances "criminal organizations, street gangs and gun-runners."

Trudeau's comments come on the heels of a CBC poll that showed even most Conservative voters support legalization or decriminalization, which puts Harper out of step with his own base.

Though Trudeau supports legalization, he wouldn't say when a Liberal government would legalize and how it would regulate the marijuana market. He claims that the absence of a firm commitment in his party's campaign platform signals his intention to handle the issue carefully by examining practices in other markets before developing an approach to legalization for Canada.

"We believe in being responsible and realistic in the costing of our plans," he said. "We didn't book for tax revenues for marijuana because we don't know yet what rate we're going to be taxing it."

According the latest Nanos poll, the Liberals are in a tight race with the Conservatives, who held a majority government prior to calling the federal election, which will be held Oct. 19.