Four Years Later: Four Reasons Canadian Legalization Sucks – Cannabis | weed | marijuana
It’s been four years since the Canadian government passed cannabis legislation, and here are four reasons Canadian cannabis legalization sucks.
Now you might think I’m just being picky here. But people still get criminal records for cannabis. There is still a peaceful “black market” of cannabis growers. Even the big, licensed producers don’t like the current setup.
And thanks to the “public health” approach, Canadian cannabis users can’t even get their hands on affordable, strong edibles.
It’s been four years, and those are four reasons legalization sucks.
4. Reason Canadian legalization sucks – jail for pot is still a thing
Police continue to blast growers that are outside of Health Canada’s range. This was to be expected given Justin Trudeau said police would have more tools and powers to fight the “illegal market”.
But when was the last time you heard about a Moonshiner bust in someone’s basement? You could argue that illegal markets will decrease over time as more consumers migrate to the legal system.
But why should they do that? Traditional cannabis markets offer cheaper cannabis, and despite claims of mold or other toxins, many home grown buds are of high quality. Especially if you’re buying in BC
Which brings us to the third reason why Canadian legalization sucks.
Reason 3 – BC Bud integration
The “illegal market” only exists because Canada’s legalization scheme is bureaucratic and centralized.
For example, before you get permission to grow, you need to invest about $100,000 in your operation. And then there is no guarantee that you will actually get a license.
$100,000 down the drain just so some bureaucrat in Ottawa can possibly deny your application. It’s true that the nine most terrifying words in the English language are “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”
BC Bud integration would never be part of Justin Trudeau’s legalization scam. I predicted this back in 2015. I’ve even suggested that a Harper government would be better for culture because it puts us and the public on our side against Ottawa.
Trudeau’s legalization co-opted the narrative. It portrayed peaceful bud farmers in BC as organized crime trying to get their kids addicted to “marijuana” so they can sell harder drugs.
It was a full story. And the nation’s presstitutes didn’t bother to challenge it until four years later. And now they’re sitting around scratching their heads and wondering why the “illegal market” still exists.
Reason 2 – Excise Taxes and Regulations
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
You may be a small bud grower in BC who cannot afford the cost of legal production. Or you can be a large licensed producer producing so much cannabis that you have to destroy a lot of it.
You can be a licensed micro-producer struggling to stay afloat. Or a large company that has never reported earnings, continues to have negative cash flow, and is tapping into the stock markets.
Both sides agree – cannabis taxes and regulations are killing the industry.
Excise taxes, for example, take $1 per gram off wholesale flower. This is independent of the production costs or the selling price. The result is that more efficient producers pay higher taxes. (You can see why many BC Bud growers want nothing to do with it.)
And, of course, large licensed manufacturers can absorb excise taxes and navigate regulatory bureaucracy more effectively than smaller manufacturers.
All the big LPs have to do is sell cannabis at a loss and wait for their smaller rivals to go bankrupt. And with the cannabis law review projected to take at least 18 months, the likelihood of that happening is extremely high.
1. Reason Canadian legalization sucks – public health vs. your right to consume
While excise taxes and regulations may be sufficient reason why Canadian legalization sucks, these are ultimately all symptoms of a fundamental problem: public health.
After a few years of lockdown and immunization passports, it is evident that we have a public health problem.
It’s one thing for a health bureaucrat to propose public policies to the government. It is quite another to pretend that your proposal is scientific and that any criticism or disagreement is “misinformation”.
Many people became aware of this scam when “two weeks to flatten the curve” turned into two and a half years of authoritarian bullshit.
But this problem has existed in the cannabis industry since Justin Trudeau ran on the legalization ticket in 2015. After all, what cannot be justified by public health?
Consumption taxes and regulations are justified by “public health”. The elimination of BC’s peaceful bud market is justified by “public health.” Prison for marijuana is justified by “public health.” THC limits for edibles are justified by “public health.”
A “public health” approach to cannabis is the main reason Canadian legalization sucks.
It’s not up to public health lobbyists what adults do with their bodies in their free time. All the harms associated with cannabis are based on pseudoscience.
Cannabis is addictive, but not addictive. Cannabis also does not cause schizophrenia, psychosis, or any other mental health problem.
There is no such thing as a fatal cannabis overdose.
Cannabis is not a scourge that needs to be carefully regulated and restricted. The only risks people face when it comes to cannabis are the destructive public health narratives.
Four years later: will anything change?
While Germany legalizes cannabis, they look to American legal states like California. When Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Canada, they didn’t talk about legalizing cannabis.
They didn’t even talk about hemp, which would solve many energy problems in Germany.
Simply put, Canadian legalization is not the model the world should follow. And the world knows it.
Unfortunately, unless future Prime Minister Pierre Poilievre changes his mind about drugs (or hides his libertarian views until he’s in the PMO), Canada’s cannabis legalization will continue to suck.
That is, unless you’re happy to spend over $300 an ounce on irradiated corporate cannabis.
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