The conservative government of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is set to unveil a new drug strategy that critics say takes its major cues from the U.S. War on Drugs, the Ottawa Citizen reported Oct. 4.

The $64-million plan being released today is expected to include an education campaign that stresses that there are "no safe drugs." Health Minister Tony Clement said the campaign is aimed at countering "confusion" about the safety and legal status of marijuana.

Clement said that two-thirds of the money will be spent on prevention and treatment, with the other third going to law enforcement.

Liberal member of Parliament Keith Martin and New Democrat Libby Davies said that Harper is "caught in an ideological time warp" and said marijuana should not be equated with hard drugs like cocaine. They called instead for a harm-reduction oriented campaign against drug use, including needle-exchange programs and safe-injection sites.