Pubdate: Tue, 15 Dec 2015
Source: Toronto Star (CN ON)
Copyright: 2015 The Toronto Star
Contact:  http://www.thestar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/456
Author: Robert Benzie
Page: A1

RUM AND TOKES? LCBO TOUTED FOR POT SALES

Wynne says government-run liquor outlets 'very well-suited' to
distribute marijuana

Weed with your whisky and wine?

Premier Kathleen Wynne says once Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's
government moves to legalize marijuana it should be sold in
provincially owned LCBO stores.

"It makes sense to me that the liquor distribution mechanism that we
have in place at LCBO is very well-suited to putting in place the
social responsibility aspects that would need to be in place," the
premier said Monday at Queen's Park.

Her surprise comments came the day before she unveils the sale of beer
in the province's supermarkets. She will be at a Loblaws on Leslie St.
this morning to launch the sale of of six-packs. The government's
Liquor Control Board of Ontario operates 651 outlets across the
province, enjoying a monopoly on spirits and imported quality wines.

Its unionized employees are trained to keep alcohol from minors and
the visibly inebriated, and work with groups like Mothers Against
Drunk Driving to promote safe consumption of alcohol.

Emphasizing that marijuana should be controlled and regulated, the
premier said she would work with Ottawa to ensure that health and
safety are key priorities as legalization rolls out. "Obviously, I
don't know what the timeline is with the federal government, but it
seems to me that using that distribution network of the LCBO - as has
been talked about in other provinces, using their provincial
institutions - I think that that makes a lot of sense," Wynne said.

Her views echo those of Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger.

"These are all highly addictive drugs and we want to make sure
Manitobans get the best opportunity to be protected from them,"
Selinger said three weeks ago.

"At the retail level, we would like to do it the way we're doing
liquor in Manitoba right now, to make sure it's safe," he said in Winnipeg.

Last month, Ontario Public Service Employees Union president Warren
(Smokey) Thomas said the LCBO "has a solid track record of responsibly
selling alcohol and would bring the same service standard to marijuana.

"If legalization happens, marijuana must be a controlled substance,
and no one has more experience retailing controlled substances than
the workers at the LCBO," said Thomas, whose union represents LCBO
employees.

"There needs to be a strong regulatory framework in place, including
minimum age limits, a ban on marketing and a plan to prevent
cannabis-impaired driving," he said Nov. 23.

"If we let industry write the rules, we won't make any headway in
reducing the social harm from marijuana."

Thomas noted the LCBO currently conducts more than 500,000 lab tests
on spirits, wine and beer annually and has secure warehouses and a
safe distribution network.

"All the infrastructure is in place for a smooth transition to a safer
system. There's no need to reinvent the wheel."

In the October election campaign, Trudeau promised to "legalize,
regulate and restrict access to marijuana." Such a move would
presumably take criminals out of the business and bring money into
government coffers through taxation.

If alcohol and tobacco tax revenues are any indication, there are
hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes to be made from imposing
levies on marijuana.

Queen's Park, which is saddled with a $7.5-billion deficit, collected
$1.163 billion in tobacco taxes last year and $3 billion in booze
taxes - including $1.8 billion from the LCBO, $565 million from beer
and wine taxes and more than $600 million in Ontario's share of the
harmonized sales tax.

Progressive Conservative MPP Tim Hudak (Niagara West-Glanbrook) last
month echoed the concerns of many who oppose the government taking
control of marijuana sales instead of opening things up to the private
sector.

"Well if gov stores are going to sell pot, at least we know quality
will be poor, the price high & the hours lousy #420," he tweeted with
a link to a Star story on Manitoba's plans.

South of the border, Colorado, Oregon and Washington have effectively
legalized marijuana.

But the Canadian Taxpayers Federation has pointed out that cannabis
may not be the panacea for cash-strapped governments, noting total
national sales in the U.S. were $4.6 billion in 2012. If the provinces
adopt levies similar to Colorado's, that would generate about $628
million a year across the country.
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MAP posted-by: Matt