4 ms·

Here in Canada a strange thing happened - all these weed shops openedu, wanting to see at $10/gram. They got some business but had rent, taxes, government added

Here in Canada a strange thing happened - all these weed shops openedu, wanting to see at $10/gram. They got some business but had rent, taxes, government added taxes etc - half went broke because the guvmint treated it like a cash cow and though the guvmint would replace the dealers and make big $$. about half people went to them, maybe less. The police stopped bothering with them. Huge grow ops started up on aboriginal lands and sell in aboriginal shops on their lands and many people went there as it was cheaper than the shops. Police had zero interest in stopping hundreds of people as they travelled as most cars held3-4 people buying 25 grams(legal max) = waste of time. dealers walked over land and bought carts full for $800-1000/pound (453 grams) just because the guvmint wanted a cash cow to milk - not seeing that fields full could be grown in the summer for $5-10 a pound. The program stumbles on. Marijuana IPO's are dying like flies in this downturn because the principals simply stole the IPO cash and walked away - now there are dozens of lawsuits of all types. I am a spectator = non smoker of anything!!

ttul 4y ago
Another Canadian observer here. The roll out was botched in parts of the country because control over licensing was delegated to provinces and some did a better job than others. British Columbia’s legalization effort has been a resounding success, in so far as there are a plentiful supply of well regulated, pleasant shops pretty much everywhere. And you can buy online easily from the government-owned store — literally it’s a Shopify site. I do not consume cannabis, but here in BC, it has never been difficult to obtain. The difference with legalization is that it’s now just a non-issue. Not sketchy. Not dangerous. It’s just part of the fabric of daily life. Governments like Germany should focus on maximizing access through private distribution much as is the case for alcohol and tobacco. Trying to control the retail end too much will result in a failure.

ttul 4y ago

Another Canadian observer here. The roll out was botched in parts of the country because control over licensing was delegated to provinces and some did a better job than others. British Columbia’s legalization effort has been a resounding success, in so far as there are a plentiful supply of well regulated, pleasant shops pretty much everywhere. And you can buy online easily from the government-owned store — literally it’s a Shopify site. I do not consume cannabis, but here in BC, it has never been difficult to obtain. The difference with legalization is that it’s now just a non-issue. Not sketchy. Not dangerous. It’s just part of the fabric of daily life. Governments like Germany should focus on maximizing access through private distribution much as is the case for alcohol and tobacco. Trying to control the retail end too much will result in a failure.