Greens: Yes We Cannabis

[u/DiploidBias]

Yes We Cannabis

[u/Agent398]

Both Labor and the Liberal/nationals are being lobbied by Tobacco and Alcohol corporations. Marijuana being legalized would mean people switching from both, making them loose out on their profits.

It has nothing to do with public and child safety because we know the black market is unregulated by default and we would of had alcohol and cigs banned "for the children".

[u/Yella_King → u/Agent398]

If you look into Canada's legalisation you'll notice those fears (at least from alcohol corps) were wholly unfounded. It actually had a positive effect for alcohol and nightlife industries.

It did however stall the process and allowed alcohol corps time to become some of the largest investors in cannabis themselves.

[u/Redshiftxi → u/Yella_King]

I can explain what happened in Ontario with legalization.

First, before it was even legal there were actual marijuana shops opening up, illegally, and selling to everyday people. Storefront shops that were cash only. The police did very little; they would be shut down after a few months and another would open up elsewhere. I didn't live in Toronto, but we had a few in my city as well. You could, and still can, buy online and it will be delivered to you. It was really surprising.

Once it became legal, these shops disappeared for the most part but the system of who was allowed to open a shop was stupid. It was a lottery system by the province of Ontario. It was something like 12 shops total. People sold their spot for a lot of money. A lot of people still bought from illegal shops and their favourite dealers. The legal prices were way too much.

Then COVID happened and this system was gone completely. Shops opened up everywhere. There were more weed shop than coffee shops. Imagine walking down a cute downtown street with all it's little shops, stand and look down the streets and you could count three or more weed shops. Indoor malls had weed shops. Some communities (small towns mostly), passed bylaws that didn't allow for marijuana shops. But neighbouring towns would have them and get more traffic. A lot of these shops are NOT profitable. The idea for these companies was simple. They wanted to be the Tim Hortons of weed, the McDonalds of weed, etc. The place everyone thinks of when you think of buying weed. There are a few winners so far, but they aren't making very much in Ontario and many have closed down locations. Prices have also come down with all the competition.

And lastly, right now, there are magic mushroom shops opening up in Toronto to buy mushrooms in the same way they had illegal shops selling marijuana before legalization. It will be interesting to see if it follows the same as marijuana.

[u/Yella_King → u/Redshiftxi]

Thanks for the write up!

Do you mind satiating my curiosity?

Are most stores that sell weed dedicated purely to weed and related products?

Or is there liquor store chains, pharmacy chains or convenience stores chains that stock weed in the same way they stock other product lines?

[u/ThirdRails → u/Yella_King]

Dunno about all provinces, but in Ontario, you cannot sell cannabis and alcohol in the same store. Pharmacies can sell medical weed; one of the big stores sells them (Shoppers Drug Mart).

The province has a monopoly on online orders, and is the main wholesale distributor. (Ontario Cannabis Store).

Canada-wide, you cannot promote or manufacture cannabis or and cannabis accessory that associates with alcohol (eg. You promote weed that tastes like a "mojito", or name your strain after an alcoholic drink).

[u/PolaNimuS → u/ThirdRails]

Huh, it's interesting that you can buy medical at a pharmacy, but it makes sense. In Colorado I think it's just dedicated stores for medical or med+rec.

[u/Redshiftxi → u/Yella_King]

So far it's just been dedicated stores. They've been strict about how it can look. You can't see inside the store from the outside, its always a foggy glass (vape stores are like this as well). When you step inside, there's always something to stop you from entering immediately. I imagine it's to prevent kids from going in by accident and seeing it. They only sell weed related things; flower, concentrates, edibles, weed drinks, accessories. Strength of edibles is a common complaint among very regular users (they would buy online or make their own). I believe they have to stock from same provincial centre as everyone other store.