Cannabis in Ontario Elections – Cannabis News, Lifestyle

Cannabis was not a hot topic in the Ontario election. Other issues grabbed the headlines with inflation, house prices, COVID deaths in nursing homes and Doug Ford’s overall balance sheet. But that all changed this week when Ontario Liberal leader Stephen Del Duca criticized Doug Ford’s cannabis retail record. He called it “accidental” and “arbitrary”.

How cannabis works in Ontario

Cannabis in Ontario is relatively straightforward. The province has one cannabis monopoly dealer. Operating under the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) name, they are also the only legal online seller of cannabis. For the stationary counterparts, the province regulates the regulations. However, some of the licenses are subject to municipal authority. As of 2022, 45 of Ontario’s 415 communities have elected not to operate cannabis businesses.

However, local authorities have complained that they have no control over the locations of stores. Others complain about the sheer number of shops. It seems the councilors don’t care if every fifteen feet a Tim Hortons threatens local cafes. But heaven forbid, a town of 2000 people has more than two cannabis stores.

When cannabis was new and emerging in Ontario, Doug Ford’s conservatives did not lead the province. The Liberal Party led the province under Kathleen Wynne. Your government didn’t want private cannabis retail stores at all. She tried to follow the liquor example of running everything through the government bureaucracy.

The alternative offers consumers much more choice and convenience. But to someone who loves central planning and control, the proliferation of cannabis businesses in Ontario might seem “accidental” and “random.”

The liberal plan

Del Duca wants to pass legislation mandating a minimum distance between cannabis shops. Will that grandfather in the current stores? If not, Del Duca is essentially running on a platform that shuts down working businesses for its aesthetic tastes.

Cannabis laws in Ontario already prohibit cannabis stores from being less than 150 meters from schools, so what exactly is the problem here?

The NDP plan

NDP leader Andrea Horwath echoed Del Duca’s stance but went further in her desire for control. She said an NDP government in Ontario will review the cannabis record and may limit the number of stores overall.

There are many cannabis stores in Ontario. It is potentially a bubble that will burst, leaving few ready for action. But it’s also possible that this is Ontario’s cannabis market equilibrium. Maybe there’s still room for more. It could be that Ontario cannabis users really can support a market where there is a cannabis shop on every corner.

Who is Andrea Horwath to tell consumers they’re wrong?

In fairness, the NDP plan isn’t quite that terrible. Toronto’s Dovercourt MPP, Marit Stiles, has introduced a bill ahead of the election to give municipalities more power to regulate cannabis businesses. “We should have a process similar to what municipalities do for liquor licensing,” Stiles told the Globe and Mail.

The Conservative Plan

Cannabis in Ontario looks the way it does because progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford took a no-nonsense approach to retail. “It doesn’t matter if it’s cannabis or any other type of business, the market will take care of it,” Ford said at a campaign stop.

Beyond that, not much was said or done. Many Ontario residents are discovering that Ford is not the free market conservative that many had hoped. But he’s also not the same kind of control freak you find in the Liberals or the NDP. (Although COVID has proven Ford has no backbone at all).

Overall, Ford’s PC party is a vote for the status quo. And while there could be some drastic improvements with cannabis in Ontario, Ford’s status quo is better than the opposition’s unknowns for now.

The Green Plan

You’d think the Greens would understand. Cannabis in Ontario isn’t just about smoking weed. Cannabis policy design should go beyond “working with communities to ensure the placement and number of cannabis stores are appropriate to the size of their communities.” That’s all they said on the subject.

Ontario’s Green Party says it aims to improve cannabis education. But there is no mention of cannabis whatsoever on their 64-page platform.

Are you crazy?

What cannabis should look like in Ontario

When it comes to cannabis in Ontario, there is only so much the provincial government can do. Cannabis is a federally regulated substance. But just as British Columbia should denounce government intervention in its staple food industry, Ontario should fight for more control.

Why? Quite simply: cannabis can save the world. And that’s why the Greens are giving away an opportunity of a lifetime.

Think back to the late 1990s. The Greens were the only real party talking about environmental regulations. The major political parties focused on other issues. It wasn’t until just before 2010 than 2000 that the major parties began discussing carbon taxes and other issues once reserved for the Greens’ platform.

Now they can do the same with hemp and cannabis.

Every four months, hemp produces more pulp per hectare than wood. And that sustainably. Hemp’s low lignin content reduces the need for acids used in pulping. Its natural color reduces the need for bleaching and reduces waste water pollution.

Making paper results in fewer chemical by-products when done with hemp.

What about petroleum-based plastics that end up in the ocean and never biodegrade? Entrepreneurs can use hemp/cannabis for plastics, which by the way are biodegradable and non-toxic.

Hemp fiber is UV resistant and antimicrobial, and requires less water and fewer pesticides to grow than cotton.

Nobody goes hungry when we grow hemp. And with biodiesel, we can power our cars and heat our homes with hemp.

Cannabis in Ontario elections

Let’s say you’re a cannabis connoisseur unhappy with Ontario’s legal model. In that case, there isn’t much about this choice that will affect you. The Liberals and NDP did not want a private seller model, but now that it is there they want to limit its size and potential.

Doug Ford will not address the fundamental issues facing the cannabis industry in Canada. But he will pay lip service to market forces, however unfree they may be.

And the Greens, like their federal counterparts, seem content to be forgotten. It’s another missed opportunity to differentiate itself from the other parties that advocate environmental sustainability.

The Greens could transform into a solution-oriented party. And hemp/cannabis is the most versatile crop to meet our industry goals. If fossil fuels are red meat, then hemp is the plant-based alternative.

But instead we get a platform that reads like the NDP platform except in green text instead of orange.