One of the questions that has arisen with the concept of marijuana legalization is where we can actually sell it. The problem is that you want a location where it would be relatively difficult for teenagers to get it. Some people might argue that it’s impossible to avoid kids getting their hands on it, and that’s honestly not wrong, but you still need to find a way to distribute the product in a relatively restricted way.
First off, gas stations and convenience stores are out. Tobacco might be sold through that system – though some might argue that it shouldn’t, and the only reason it continues to be sold through those outlets is a combination of inertia and heavy lobbying – but there is no sense adding something to that system. Advocates might argue that it’s safe until they’re blue in the face, but restrictions on teenage access to any drug is an important concern and something that should be taken into account. If we’re not comfortable selling beer there – and in most provinces, including Saskatchewan, we are not – we shouldn’t be comfortable with marijuana sales either. One might argue that we should be comfortable selling beer there, of course, but right now, in Canada, it’s not the right solution.
One solution has been proposed by Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne, add it to liquor stores in the provinces. Whether public or private, give alcohol sellers the option to add marijuana to the menu. The infrastructure already exists, they’re already stores which teenagers are unwelcome, they have policies in place for proper IDs and carding. We are definitely comfortable selling beer at those stores, and that’s another substance we don’t really want for anyone in their teenage years. It’s an elegant solution to the problem of distribution.
The other alternative is an entirely separate distribution channel for marijuana overall. You could, in theory, have stand-alone stores that deal strictly in the product, whether publicly run or private, which would be able to sell the product to people. It would not be that far from dispensary systems that already exist elsewhere, and sellers could be regulated with a license system. The people in charge wouldn’t sell to kids anyway – don’t want to risk losing that license, after all – and it would be a standalone shop. There are already places which serve the same purpose for the sake of the current medical scheme, and we do not want to drive them out of business.
The trouble with that is how you deal with communities who want to find excuses to run such businesses out of town. Even if the substance itself is legal, some towns will want to find ways to get around actually having it available. We witnessed this when Saskatoon, quaking in fear of the destructive potential of a naked torso, mandated all strip clubs be located in industrial areas, as though bare breasts are less threatening when placed in the general vicinity of manufacturing. Not to equate marijuana with strippers, but it is actually something that will need to be considered if it will require stand-alone businesses – there will be communities with a somewhat more conservative point of view that will go through a great deal of effort to make a newly legal substance much less convenient for people to get their hands on. Doing it through liquor store locations skirts this problem. Liquor stores are established businesses, in some provinces they are publicly owned. It would be difficult and politically dangerous to zone them into oblivion. As a result, if you want a distribution network, you’ve got it right there.
Why do we want an easy distribution network? To be blunt, taxes. There is no way that this is getting legalized without some sort of tax on it, and even if you do not smoke – and I do not, as I get immediately nauseous when I smell it – you will get the benefits of marijuana sales somewhere. Since this country has a major infrastructure deficit, we have the chance to pay for it with whatever taxes come in. It’s not something that will need much advertising, there’s a vocal and enthusiastic fan base that is more than willing to put down a lot of money to keep buying it, and we should embrace their enthusiasm and use it to build a road or two. That means ensuring they have a place to buy their marijuana.
It’s going to be a long time before the drug is actually legal, and this is going to be one of the issues that is studied and re-studied repeatedly as the changes to the law are put together. There is a good reason for that, we will be stuck with whatever sales scheme we set up, just as the way sales of any other drug have been more or less consistent for decades. Personally, I see no problem with the liquor store plan. Both are substances that are only for adults, and the store network is in place already, it’s a simple solution.
