After decades as a marijuana renegade, British Columbia is eagerly anticipating the federal government害羞草研究所檚 bill legalizing marijuana.
Growing marijuana has become a backyard tradition in B.C. and the number of medical marijuana dispensaries in Vancouver and Victoria rival Tim Horton害羞草研究所檚 outlets. Politicians, entrepreneurs and ordinary citizens are convinced marijuana offers unprecedented economic, social and health opportunities as Ottawa gets ready to introduce its legislation.
Vancouver-based Tantalus Labs, which grows medical marijuana in greenhouses, released a report this month that said the industry could create 15,000 jobs in B.C.
It said B.C.害羞草研究所檚 illegal marijuana market provides 40 per cent of Canada害羞草研究所檚 black market and is worth $2.7 billion, with 85 per cent of that going to organized crime.
Dan Sutton, executive director at Tantalus, said he害羞草研究所檚 worried B.C. is lagging behind Nova Scotia, Ontario and Alberta in developing a legal marijuana industry and could lose out.
害羞草研究所淏.C. bud is a household name, globally,害羞草研究所� said Sutton. 害羞草研究所淲e have a storied cultural history associated with cannabis and it害羞草研究所檚 time for us to leverage that brand.害羞草研究所�
None of B.C.害羞草研究所檚 provincial political parties have touted marijuana legalization in the May 9 election campaign, he said.
NDP Leader John Horgan said he supports legalization. 害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檝e been thinking about it a lot,害羞草研究所� he said in a recent interview.
Horgan has studied marijuana policy and the opportunities from legalizing the drug.
Last year, he sent two of his most senior caucus members, Carole James and Mike Farnworth, to Washington and Oregon to view how those states implemented and adapted to legal marijuana use and sales.
害羞草研究所淲e need to be prepared here in B.C.,害羞草研究所� Horgan said.
Horgan said he害羞草研究所檚 met with the B.C. Government Service Employees Union about marijuana sales. The union has 4,000 members at government-run liquor stores and provincial liquor distribution outlets.
He害羞草研究所檚 also met with operators of private beer and wine stores, pharmacies, marijuana dispensaries and craft beer brewers.
害羞草研究所淲e need to find a way, a (sales and distribution) model that, I think, is a hybrid of all those things,害羞草研究所� Horgan said.
He said he supports the sale of marijuana for recreational users at government liquor stores.
Stephanie Smith, the union害羞草研究所檚 president, said it has formed an alliance with private liquor store operators to lobby for the distribution and sales rights of recreational marijuana at their outlets. The union has met with B.C.害羞草研究所檚 Liberal government and the NDP, she said.
There are 198 government liquor stores and about 670 private stores in B.C.
Liberal Leader Christy Clark said she has three concerns about marijuana once it becomes legal: she wants organized crime out of the business, assurances that legal marijuana is safe and of high quality, and that it害羞草研究所檚 kept away from children.
Clark said in an interview last week she doesn害羞草研究所檛 want people to believe that there are no risks associated with smoking pot because the government has legalized it.
害羞草研究所淛ust like alcohol, it害羞草研究所檚 got a lot of harms associated with it, so I want to make sure we do everything we can to keep it out of the hands of kids.害羞草研究所�
Green Leader Andrew Weaver said the Greens will support marketing opportunities for B.C. craft marijuana growers.
害羞草研究所淲e will fight very hard to ensure that the big multinationals do not step in and take up the market,害羞草研究所� he said.
Dirk Meissner, The Canadian Press
