The federal government has just released the report of its special advisory task force on marijuana legalization. While the report lays out broad strokes, key decisions remain on retail distribution, legal age limit, and taxation that Ottawa and the provinces should agree on soon.

The report recommends that provinces be given the jurisdiction to determine the precise mechanism of retail distribution. However, the report has also recommended against allowing the sale of marijuana in stores that also offer liquor and/or cigarettes. This is consistent with my own study that was released by the C.D. Howe Institute, in which I recommended retail sales through stand-alone stores as opposed to government-owned retail outlets, as is the case in Ontario. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has supported the idea of the provincially owned LCBO distributing marijuana. The idea has also received considerable support from the trade unions representing LCBO employees. A supporting argument is that selling marijuana through LCBO outlets reduces the possibility of underage consumption.

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