Pubdate: Thu, 24 Dec 2015
Source: Montreal Gazette (CN QU)
Copyright: 2015 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.montrealgazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/274
Author: Ivor Sargent
Page: A15

HOW MARIJUANA WILL BE SOLD

Marijuana is a cash crop with gigantic profit margins that are made
possible only by prohibition laws.

Canadian consumers will be the victims of pricegouging if the
legalization of marijuana does not allow a free open market that
allows private enterprise to compete in the establishment of a
fairmarket value for the herb, yet the government is not even
contemplating the establishment of an open market and has restricted
production of marijuana to a big-business model.

Government policy objectives are said to focus on preventing access to
pot by minors, by restricting marijuana production to a few "big
business" producers and by restricting sale and distribution to
provincial liquor board monopolies. Such policy will do nothing to
eliminate the black market, which is the source of the marijuana that
is sold to minors by teenage drug dealers. Note that there are no
teenage "drug dealers" selling corner-store tobacco to minors.

The decriminalization of pot would provide a potential net gain to
Canadian taxpayers of billions of dollars annually in savings by
eliminating the cost of enforcing criminal prohibition. But the
regulated legalization of marijuana by the Trudeau government will
cost Canadian consumers billions of dollars in price gouging.

Tax pot? Yes, tax it on fair market value just as is done with
tobacco. Regulate pot sales? Yes, just as is being done with tobacco.
Restrict the production of legal marijuana? Absolutely not, that is
not "legalization" but "prohibition lite."

In effect, the government is planning to replace an
underground-controlled monopoly with a government-controlled monopoly,
and that is not good news for consumers.

Ivor Sargent, Ste-Adele
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MAP posted-by: Matt