Pubdate: Thu, 21 Sep 2017
Source: Toronto Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2017 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.torontosun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://torontosun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/457
Author: Antonella Artuso
Page: 18

PRICE CHECK ON POT!

Ontario pot will be "competitively priced" to discourage black market
sales, Finance Minister Charles Sousa says.

When asked about reports that other jurisdictions in Canada are
looking at a retail sales price of about $10 a gram, Sousa refused to
dismiss the figure.

"The intent is to have some uniformity over these prices across Canada
as well as trying to maintain the price point with regards to the
medicinal marijuana that's there now, and to ensure that it's not
overly expensive because of the underground economy that now exists,"
Sousa said Wednesday. "So we have to be sensitive to that and we're
working with the federal government in terms of what markups are going
to be there and what uniformity and harmonization we can establish to
ensure that we keep a price point that keeps away the black market."

Ontario has been pushing up taxes on cigarettes for years as a
strategy to discourage smoking.

But while the percentage of smokers is generally on the decline, the
contraband tobacco market has flourished.

Ontario PC Leader Patrick Brown said the price of recreational
marijuana has to be competitive to discourage black market purchases.

"I do think that is a goal that the province of Ontario should have to
diminish the black market," Brown said. "Where there's a large
discrepancy in price, naturally the black market will succeed."
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MAP posted-by: Matt