Blanket bans backfire

Despite Canada approaching its third anniversary of cannabis legalization, some municipalities still ban licensed shops. Other countries talking about legalizing cannabis also seem inclined toward minimizing legal access. But my research suggests those policies are probably counterproductive.

Canada legalized recreational cannabis on Oct. 17, 2018. After initial product shortages eased in spring 2019, store openings and retail sales soared. Monthly sales hit $339 million in July 2021 and the national store total now exceeds 2,600.

User numbers have also grown. In 2018, 14 per cent of the population aged 15 and up say they used cannabis. That reached 20 per cent in 2020, equivalent to 6.2 million people.

Licensed shops clearly increase access to legal products. But they only marginally increase overall access if illegal dealers are already widespread.

Consider the southern Ontario city of Hamilton. In January 2019, the city had 34 illegal dispensaries and countless online dealers.

So when the first licensed shop opened three months later, it suddenly made legal products accessible. But the city’s total cannabis supply barely budged.

At the municipal level, politicians banning licensed stores might think they’re protecting residents.

But my study implies communities will see similar user growth after legalization whether they allow shops or not.

Those users will increasingly buy legally if local shops open. But without such stores, users will keep visiting illicit sources where products might be misrepresented or contaminated.

This means community store bans could lead to more crime and health problems rather than less.

PSA: Only a few spaces left!

'Going soft' not the answer

A retired RCMP officer and his wife, who run a mom-and-pop cannabis shop in BC, say the province isn't doing anybody any favours by avoiding enforcement on unlicensed shops.

Cannabis store owner and retired RCMP officer Chris Nuessler sent an open letter this week to BC’s Premier and the Solicitor General.

He's the second Okanagan retailer to go on the record about a lack of enforcement against unlicensed cannabis stores. Chris and his wife Elaine are the owners of PH Cannabis Co, a recreational cannabis shop in Summerland.

  • RELATED: Cannabis retailers call for BC Solicitor General's resignation

Spiritleaf Vernon owner Sarah Ballantyne signed a letter last week from a group of otherwise anonymous Okanagan cannabis retailers, calling for the resignation of the province's Solicitor General over his handling of the cannabis file. (The story was first reported by the oz.)

In their letter, Chris and Elaine communicated their own challenges opening and operating a legal licensed cannabis store, including with banking and licensing.

The letter from the long-time cannabis advocates, which you can read in full here, also addresses the elephant in the room: reconciliation vs. enforcement.

"We also feel strongly your need to immediately address the illegal black market industry on Indigenous lands," says the letter.

"No matter your comments on the issue of reconciliation, going soft on enforcement is not supporting reconciliation. This is illegal activity in BC that needs to be immediately addressed. Let’s make one thing clear… we support reconciliation. We suggest you work closely with these communities to establish their own legal cannabis industry and bring the credible Indigenous stores on board with licensing while funnelling future tax dollars immediately back into their community. That is Reconciliation."

There's an ethnic divide over weed

A majority of British Columbians remain in favour of the legalization of marijuana three years after it was first implemented across Canada, a new Research Co. poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative provincial sample, 62% of British Columbians agree with marijuana being legal in Canada, down eight points since a similar Research Co. poll conducted in April 2020.

While more than seven-in-10 British Columbians of European ancestry (72%) favour the legal status of marijuana in Canada, the proportion of supporters drops to 44% among residents of South Asian descent and 41% among residents of East Asian origins.

• Almost two-in-five cannabis users in British Columbia acknowledge that “all” of their product was obtained at a licensed retailer. 

• Significant majorities of BC residents believe the provincial government made the right decision prohibiting the use of cannabis on school properties and in vehicles, restricting weed smoking to areas where tobacco smoking is allowed, and setting 19 years as the legal age to purchase, sell or consume BC.

• Public support is slightly lower for authorizing adults to grow up to four cannabis plants per household under specific conditions and for establishing the Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) as the wholesale distributor in the province.

Quick hits

👅 Quick saliva test can reveal cannabis use over the past 12 hours (New Scientist)

🏙 West Vancouver council to hear 10 cannabis store pitches (North Shore News)

💵 Average price of cannabis in Ontario drops to $6 a gram (StratCann)

🎰 The cannabis industry descended upon Las Vegas for MJBizCon 2021 (Forbes)

🛑 Ontario man still can't enter U.S. due to 20-year-old pot charge (CBC)

In other news...

Pineapple Party by Pineapple Buds

It truly is a Pineapple Party.

Grown in the Okanagan—this Indica from Pineapple Buds is some pretty good stuff.

It smells like pineapples—sweet and fruity. There are four relatively even-sized buds that are all nicely manicured. Some purple leaves stick out, giving it a nice tinge.

This is craft weed and you can tell. It has great moisture, dense with a little give when pressed. The buds are frosty.

It’s nice to handle and grinds up fluffy. It rolls up nicely, too.

Put out under the BC Black label from Joint Venture Craft Cannabis, Pineapple Party is 25.4% THC and 2.51% Terpenes.

I paid nearly $50 for an eighth at a local cannabis retailer. You can get it cheaper if you shop around at stores that don’t mark up their products as high.

It did come packed in a bag, and I would prefer glass to protect such nice flower.

Squeezed in the bag, the buds were starting to show some rectangular squishing. It was packaged Oct 5, 2021.

Overall, this is pretty weed and got me good and stoned.

Would buy again.

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Shower Thoughts

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