The Conservative Party and Prime Minister Stephen Harper will likely scrap Liberal-crafted legislation decriminalizing marijuana.

Harper recently expressed that position at the annual Canadian Professional Police Association conference in Ottawa, and it's a move that irks a former Conservative MP.

"Harper adheres to this notion that society should morally (penalize) people who use illegal drugs," said Keith Martin, the Liberal MP for Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca.

Martin has called for the decriminalization of marijuana since he was an MP for the Reform Party.

While Martin has concerns about people abusing marijuana, he said he doesn't believe that they should be treated like criminals.

Martin favours law enforcement agencies taking a tougher approach against organized crime groups growing marijuana rather than recreational pot smokers. Prohibition only makes organized crime groups involved in the sale of marijuana rich, Martin said.

"Prohibition is like music to the ears of organized crime. The day that the government chooses to decriminalize the simple possession of marijuana is the day that organized crime gangs are going to have a big problem," he said.

Organized crime groups in the U.S. experienced major financial difficulties when U.S. prohibition on alcohol was repealed in 1933, Martin pointed out.

Ted Smith, president of the Victoria-based International Hempology 101 Society, said he doesn't support the Liberals' draft marijuana decriminalization legislation.

"I'm glad they're not decriminalizing cannabis," said Smith, who would prefer the outright legalization of marijuana. "It still means that the police can take it away from you, harass you and still have the same powers under the old law," he said of decriminalization.

The draft legislation would have amounted to minor marijuana possession being treated like a traffic violation where people would be fined but wouldn't receive a criminal record, a move that Smith argued could prevent marijuana from ever being legalized outright.

"What we need is a temporary policy of non-enforcement. That's what's going to lead us toward legalization - not a system of fines," he said.

Martin argued that Harper's tough stance is all about cozying up to U.S. President George W. Bush.

Smith agreed.

"The population (of Canada) could be 95 per cent in favour of legalization and they'll still stick with their position until the United States changes," he said.

Saanich-Gulf Islands Conservative MP Gary Lunn said that abandoning legislation decriminalizing marijuana is more about priorities.

"This is not one of our priorities, this is not one of our policies - so we're not going there," Lunn said.

The Conservatives are more concerned about such issues as the proposed federal accountability legislation, reducing the GST and justice reforms, he said.

Lunn acknowledges that the party's position on pot is about more than being concerned about other priorities. And he also has his own concerns about what might happen if marijuana was decriminalized.

"Do you send the right message out to young people by legalizing marijuana? Is it a stepping stone to harder drugs? I'm not convinced it's the right road to go down," Lunn said.