Pubdate: Wed, 16 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: Allan Woods
Page: A4

MARIJUANA OPTIONS BEYOND LCBO

The liquor-store model is not only way to sell pot should Ottawa
legalize it

MONTREAL- It's still a long way off, but the federal government's
promise to legalize marijuana for recreational use in Canada has
sparked a torrid debate about how and where to sell it.

Convenience stores across the country already sell
government-regulated lottery tickets, cigarettes and, in some
provinces, beer and wine. But since the end of alcohol prohibition
laws in the 1920s, liquor stores have been that clear, well-lighted
place Canadians have come to rely on for their purchases of alcohol.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, Manitoba Premier Greg Sellinger and
the unions representing the LCBO and Quebec's Societe des alcools du
Quebec (SAQ) are all advocating that provincially run liquor stores be
allowed to expand their mandates and inventory to include the many
strains and vintages of marijuana.

Tuesday, federal Health Minister Jane Philpott applauded Queen's Park
for getting involved in the debate, even if it will be some time
before a bag of weed can be purchased alongside a bottle of wine.

"I would say that I'm happy to see that our provincial counterparts
are looking at what they think might be good ideas, but that does not
imply we're anywhere near that," Philpott said.

She refused to share her own preferences about whether marijuana sales
should be treated like liquor or made available over the convenience
store counter like cigarettes. Those are some of the details, as well
as age restrictions, that Philpott will be working out along with
Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould and Public Safety Minister Ralph
Goodale when they return from Christmas break. But the lobbyists are
already gearing up on behalf of businesses and industries that don't
want to see their access to a lucrative market go up in smoke. Here
are some of the arguments for and against the liquor-store model for
marijuana sales:

AGAINST: Sky-high (prices)

There are many critics of the LCBO's alcohol pricing policies and
probably some reason to fear what the crown agency will decide is the
going rate for a gram of pot. Washington state had similar problems
thanks to an out-of control tax rate on pot that was lowered this year
to 37 per cent, said Sean O'Connor, a University of Washington law
professor in Seattle who runs the Cannabis Law & Policy Project.

"The question we have and that is still somewhat unanswered is: what
is the premium that someone is going to pay for stuff that is
traceable and that you get to buy in a regular, open, clean cannabis
store? We know that people are going to pay some premium, but if it is
too much we know anecdotally of lots of folks who feel quite
comfortable with their existing underground supply," he said.

FOR: Quality control

"Counterfeit cigarettes can show up anywhere as you know, but a liquor
board would ensure that they buy (marijuana) on a wholesale basis from
a regulated distributor," said Rowland Dunning, executive director of
the Canadian Association of Liquor Jurisdictions.

"(With alcohol) they buy from legitimate manufacturers and it is
quality tested. There are several liquor boards across the country
that have laboratories and test every product before it hits the
shelves, checking for glass particles and checking for levels of
additives that don't meet the Health Canada guidelines."

AGAINST: Beat the black market

"To suggest that we can put a dispensary or a government liquor store
. . . in a convenient place for every single citizen may be a bit of a
stretch. And we have to understand that the underground economy has
existed for probably a hundred years and it has distribution points in
every little corner of the country," said Denis Arsenault, chief
executive of Organi-Gram, a Moncton-based marijuana producer.

"I would like to see a hybrid system where Canadian consumers with an
age validation system could order it through the mail like they do
with medical marijuana and we complement that with
government-regulated retail points."

Arsenault said Canada could do like the state of Colorado and set up a
software system to track marijuana from the time it is planted as a
seed to the time it is sold and consumed.

FOR: Public confidence

"I really have no bias except that I would like it to go really,
really well from a public perception perspective," said Bruce Linton,
the chief executive of Tweed, a marijuana producer in Smith Falls,
Ont.

For that to happen, officials need to that ensure kids can't get
legalized marijuana, that organized crime is shut out and that people
understand and appreciate how much tax revenue is being generated from
marijuana sales.

- - With files from Bruce Campion-Smith
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt