Pubdate: Wed, 28 Oct 2015
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2015 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Bethany Lindsay
Page: A7

TRUDEAU GOVERNMENT CAN LEARN FROM OTHER REGIONS

Legalization Should Employ Best Practices: Experts

Canada is set to jump into a giant experiment in marijuana 
legalization playing out across the Americas, and there are those who 
believe we could be a shining example of the right way to do things - 
as long as we learn from everyone else's mistakes.

Justin Trudeau has promised to get working on legalization "right 
away" when he's sworn in as prime minister, but has yet to offer a 
timeline or propose a model for Canada's system.

Pot professionals such as economist Miles Light are eager to advise 
the new government.

"I'm really excited," said Light, co-founder of the Denver-based 
Marijuana Policy Group.

His firm worked with the Colorado government after voters backed 
legalization in 2012, and has given economic policy advice to 
officials in other states.

Colorado needed about 14 months to get a legal regime running, and 
Canada is in a unique position to follow a similar timeline, Light 
said. That's because we could piggyback on the existing medical 
marijuana system with just a slight rejigging.

He even believes Canada can do Colorado one better by collapsing the 
medical and recreational markets into one, while still giving medical 
customers special dispensations for tax breaks and buying in bulk. 
"Running two separate markets is much more expensive," he said.

Before Canada can do anything about legalizing weed, there needs to 
be serious study of consumer demand - and supply sources - so the 
government can set prices and tax rates to squeeze out illegal drug dealers.

Colorado developed a tax and fee scheme that brought in $76 million 
in the first year of legalization. It also helped cut the black 
market by more than 85 per cent, Light said.

Light's team found people who smoke daily use up to three times as 
much in a single day as infrequent users do when they partake in the 
occasional joint.

"That has huge implications for the market. These heavy users who 
drive the market, they're a little bit more price sensitive than a 
casual user, because if you're using daily and consuming all the time 
.. it often competes with their rent or with their cable bills," Light said.

In Washington state, officials seriously misjudged consumers in the 
beginning, bringing in taxes that more than doubled the price of pot, 
Light said.

"They assumed that everyone would just demand retail marijuana at any 
price, but nobody did, because the price of a gram was about two to 
three times higher than they could get it from their pre-existing 
provider, the drug dealer," he said.

Those taxes have since come down to more manageable levels, and after 
a slow start, stores in Washington are now selling more pot than 
their counterparts in Colorado.

Kash Heed, a former B.C. solicitor general who consults with medical 
marijuana companies, wants to see the end of marijuana dispensaries.

"What we need to look at is the liquor model. There's no other better 
analogy to describe what we need to do here in Canada," he said.

That would allow government to restrict THC content the same way 
alcohol percentages are controlled, and would give provinces the 
final say on how pot is sold.

It could also eliminate the need for a new bureaucracy to deal with 
pot sales, building instead on each province's liquor distribution system.

Tonia Winchester, a lawyer who worked on the citizens' coalition to 
legalize pot in Washington state, thinks Canada would do well to sell 
recreational pot through the mail, using the same system now used for 
medical weed.

Winchester said there would probably be a demand for retail stores, 
but community safety needs to be paramount. Concerns about drugged 
driving need to be addressed, and efforts made to stem child pot use.

"How can we learn from our mistakes with alcohol and tobacco? That's 
definitely a challenge," Winchester said.

She believes tax revenue from pot sales needs to be directed toward 
treatment and prevention programs.

Back in Colorado, Light thinks coming up with a plan to educate 
consumers is just as important as developing regulations.

"Bud-tenders" in Colorado pot shops are required to go through a 
special training program so they can educate their customers about 
the dangers of the products for sale.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom