Pubdate: Sun, 08 Oct 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: Mark Bonokoski
Pages: 4-5

JUSTIN TRUDEAU'S QUEST TO BE CROWNED KING OF WEED

Since doper Marc Emery has claimed title of the Prince of Pot, perhaps
it is time to crown Justin Trudeau the King of Weed.

Thus far, it seems reefer royalty is our prime minister's primary
quest, as he is obsessed with pot's legalization - by Canada Day 2018,
come hell or high times - while spending little time on substantive
issues other than taxing small business out of business.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau claims he will now tweak his tax reforms
somewhat so that the family farm, for example, can be passed on to the
next generation without painful penalties, but time will tell.

The overall economy?

Not a problem. The marijuana file will rake in untold millions for the
national coffers with Trudeau's surprise announcement of a $1-a-gram
federal excise tax on legal weed, plus 13% HST of course and, before
anyone knows it, the debt and deficit will be up in smoke. So goes the
pipe dream.

Last week, when the premiers met in Ottawa with the PM, talks
originally planned to discuss indigenous issues and climate change
quickly got down and dirty on the sharing of the pot on pot.

It was reminiscent of street-corner drug dealers arguing over turf and
take, with the premiers bemoaning that their jurisdictions will be
doing most of the slog - setting up retail, dealing with law
enforcement, et cetera - for relative chump change in return.

The best line came from Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister.

"I think it reminds me a little bit of the two salesmen who are having
a vicious argument about the commission split on a deal they haven't
done yet," he said. "We really don't know what the ramifications of
this are.

"This is an historic change, and we don't know the real cost."

Yet, for the King of Weed, it is rush, rush, rush.

There is also an increasing clampdown on those pesky illegal pot
dispensaries that are popping up everywhere across the country, and
are particularly irksome to the ruling Liberals of Ontario who want
their monopoly protected, and run by unionized and templated
off-shoots of the Liquor Control Board.

In a rather profound example of law enforcement overkill, an Ottawa
pot dispensary was raided last week for the second time this year by
drug cops disguised by balaclavas, and accompanied by fully geared-up
members of the SWAT team.

Five clerks were hauled away in handcuffs, and later charged with drug
trafficking, as police involved in the raid were heckled by a small
group of demonstrators, some of them dispensary co-workers.

"How much taxpayers' money did you waste?" one reportedly yelled. "Are
you f---ing kidding me?"

"They should be investigating cocaine dealers."

Yes, peace and love is in the air.

What also troubles the feds, and the provinces, is that these pot
dispensaries are also selling edibles, which will be a no-no when
marijuana is legalized in order to prevent toddlers for mistaking
their parents' THC-laced gummies for Halloween treats.

And there is some interesting stuff being sold.

When Postmedia reporter Jacquie Miller visited an illegal Ottawa
outlet named Dr. Greenthumb, priding itself for selling the cheapest
pot in town - $8.50 a gram, cash only - she found a "fully-loaded 375
mg gummy" selling for $30.

It was in a Ziploc bag, and shaped like a revolver.

And, "fully loaded" is not far off.

As Miller noted a "single serving" edible in Colorado has only 10 mg
of THC, the chemical in marijuana that delivers the buzz.

Imagine if someone's toddler mistakenly swallowed that revolver-shaped
gummy at Dr. Greenthumb laced with 375 mg of THC?

It's a 911 call in need of speed dial.
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MAP posted-by: Matt