Pubdate: Tue, 29 Dec 2015
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2015 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Authors: Stephanie Smith & Damian Kettlewell
Page: B6

MARIJUANA SHOULD BE SOLD THROUGH LIQUOR STORES

Place for pot: With a strong record of checking identification,
existing system is most socially responsible way to sell recreational
drug

Non-medical marijuana will likely be legalized across Canada in 2016.
Legalization was among Justin Trudeau's campaign promises. The new
prime minister has directed his minister of justice to create a
federal-provincial-territorial process that will lead to the
legalization and regulation of non-medical, recreational marijuana
across the country.

Anticipating these changes, the B.C. Government and Service Employees'
Union and the B.C. Private Liquor Store Association have formed the
Responsible Marijuana Retail Alliance of B.C. We are working together
on a straightforward goal: to see legal, non-medical marijuana
warehoused and distributed through the existing Liquor Distribution
Branch system and sold in B.C. alongside alcohol in liquor stores.

Our two organizations have not taken a stand on the legalization or
consumption of non-medical marijuana. Legalization is inevitable.
Being pragmatic, we believe marijuana should be sold in the most
socially responsible way possible, in age-controlled stores with the
strongest track record of checking identification. This includes
preventing sales to young people or people who are already under the
influence.

In B.C., we already have an excellent system for distributing and
retailing alcohol. Creating a new, parallel system for marijuana would
be costly, time consuming, and would divert money from social
programs, education and addictions treatment into an additional and
unnecessary bureaucracy.

Once the federal government legalizes marijuana, it will be up to
individual provinces to establish regulations. B.C. already has a
regulatory system in place for alcohol that could be easily modified
to include the important regulatory requirements for distributing and
selling marijuana.

So, what would this look like? We envision a system very similar to
our successful wine and beer industries. This would include producers
of all sizes, many of them local, creating jobs in their communities,
selling to a central wholesaler at the public Liquor Distribution
Branch, and then distributing to public and private liquor stores.

Just as with beer or wine, and in keeping with lessons learned in
Colorado and Washington, we also believe it's important to allow
individuals to produce marijuana non-commercially for their own
personal use.

The tax revenue from legalized marijuana could fund a host of programs
from addictions recovery, prevention programs aimed at youth, and
education about the dangers of impaired driving to more general
programs like health and education. Of course, the particulars of tax
rates and program spending are for the provincial and federal
government to decide.

It is important to note that our recommendations concern non-medical
marijuana. Many Canadians know someone who has benefited from the
medical use of marijuana. We do not believe the upcoming legalization
of non-medical marijuana should affect how patients obtain or use
medical marijuana. We need to be cognizant that this is a separate
substance with established and effective medical uses.

Since the BCGEU joined the BCPLSA and put forward our proposal for the
sale of non-medical marijuana through the Liquor Distribution Branch
and liquor stores in the province, our proposal has been discussed
extensively in the media. Premier Greg Selinger in Manitoba and
Premier Kathleen Wynne in Ontario have voiced their support for
similar public sales in their provinces. Editorial boards and other
stakeholders have also endorsed the idea of distributing and retailing
marijuana through existing liquor distribution and retail networks.

We have a real opportunity ahead of us in B.C. The BCGEU and BCPLSA,
through our alliance, are ready to work with our partners at all
levels of government to ensure that marijuana legalization takes place
in the most socially responsible way possible.

If done properly, with the appropriate regulatory oversight and
safeguards in place, legalized marijuana can create jobs and generate
public revenue to fund public services.

Damian Kettlewell is the B.C. Private Liquor Store Association's 
non-medical marijuana spokesman. Stephanie Smith is president of the 
B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union.
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MAP posted-by: Matt