Pubdate: Wed, 13 Sep 2017
Source: North Bay Nugget (CN ON)
Copyright: 2017 North Bay Nugget
Contact: http://www.nugget.ca/letters
Website: http://www.nugget.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2226
Page: A4

TIME CHANGES VIEWS OF ALCOHOL, POT SALES

Which of the tri-towns is likely to get a government-run pot shop? The
question may cause some argument in the tri-towns which is sometimes
called Temiskaming Shores minus Cobalt.

New Liskeard and Haileybury are now part of the City of Temiskaming
Shores along with Dymond township. The towns appear to be happy
partners while the township did not get much out of amalgamation
except an increase in taxes.

The province has announced it will set up a chain of government-run
stores to sell marijuana. the pot shops will be protected from
competition and anyone daring to sell what the customers want will be
prosecuted or persecuted out of business.

The pot shops will provide some employment, and presumably both
Haileybury and New Liskeard would like to add a little pot to their
downtown.

Five or six decades ago, the idea of selling pot legally would have
been laughed out of existence. Haileybury and New Liskeard would have
agreed they were too respectable to allow such a thing. they would
have sent the pot to Cobalt with their full blessing. now it seems
likely that Cobalters will have to drive out of town for their supply.

It seems the pot shops will be operated by a separate government
agency. This agency will be a subsidiary of the Liquor Control Board
of Ontario. It's unfortunate that the LCBO was not given full control
of pot sales from the beginning. If pot were sold in the LCBO stores,
it would be fairly distributed across the province. the LCBO staff is
well trained and usually liked by their customers.

It took a long time for the LCBO to realize that it was selling a
legal product and its customers were entitled to politeness and
respect. Sixty years ago, LCBO staff looked down their noses at
customers and made them feel as uncomfortable as possible.

It may be a long time before older members of the public feel
comfortable with legalized pot. It must be a fact that regular pot
users have their own sources of supply. These are illegal and may be
connected to organized crime. The government pot shops will have to
compete with a system that is outside the law but appears to satisfy
its customers.

- - John R. Hunt
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt