How to legalise cannabis in Canada

Legalizing pot was an election pledge, one Trudeau pitched as way to make communities safer. He says government regulation of pot sales would hurt organized crime and keep the drug away from kids.

While the legalisation of cannabis in Canada seems eminent. The process to do it appears to be a rough road. Justin Trudeau Has pledged to legalize, regulate and restrict access to cannabis. But how he will do this he may not be to sure.

Liquor Stores

"If adults can freely buy marijuana in places like the Quebec's provincially run liquor stores, pushers will no longer have the capacity to sell it to adults and only selling it to young people will be both risky and less profitable," he told the reporters.

B.C.'s Public Health Officer, Dr. Perry Kendall, says the way alcohol is currently sold encourages accessibility and consumption. He also points to the potential harm of one-stop shopping for both pot and alcohol. Dr. Kendall says there's evidence that drinking and smoking pot doesn't just add forms of intoxication together, but instead has a "multiplier" effect. In essence, it's likely to make users considerably more intoxicated.

With a massive infrastructure already in place for booze, some believe the liquor control system is best-equipped to handle pot, with OPSEU chief Warren Thomas joining a chorus that already includes Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger. “The LCBO has a solid track record of responsibly selling alcohol and would bring the same service standard to marijuana… including minimum age limits, a ban on marketing, and a plan to prevent cannabis-impaired driving. If we let industry write the rules, we won’t make any headway in reducing the social harm from marijuana.”

Canada Post

It is entirely possible for regulated cannabis to save Canada post. By expanding the existing delivery-by-mail system for medical buyers. Building off an existing model, with pot tracked from “seed-to-sale” and delivered in child-proof, vacuum-sealed, discrete packaging. “It allows you to really get out and launch a system across the country, but in a rather cautious manner that is building upon what exists and what has proven to be successful on the medical side. By doing that, it buys you time to gather data, to understand the challenges and the successes.” Says Tweed president Mark Zekulin.

Store Fronts

Police in B.C. generally take a hands-off approach, unless there is a complaint from the community, though raids are increasing in frequency. Critics of this model say some shops are still fed by the black market, and are therefore still feeding organized crime.
“We do not permit people to sell legal or illegal liquor or prescription medicine on a street corner and similarly, we cannot permit an illegal substance to be sold in a similar manner, particularly when people have complained about it. There is no legal mechanism in Canada which allows for medicinal marijuana dispensaries or compassion clubs to sell or gift to the public.” Said Supt. Mark Fisher, Nanaimo RCMP

Health Centre

This is a model that requires users to register and receive a card and all sales would be tracked per user. Onsite counselling and outreach would be available. This model would seem the most expensive of the current models.

Colorado Style

The government issues licenses to private enterprise, as is the case in Colorado, where aggressive marketing (including THC-laced soda, chocolate and candy) has led to sky-high profits. The majority of the Canadian public already supporting legalization may not be on board with handing industry the keys to the Cadillac.




Tell me which model you think we should adopt for Canada’s legalisation plan.