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We now have a new provincial government in Ontario. So now what?

B: We don’t know now how this will pan out with Doug Ford as the new premier. The previous government said sales would go through an agency of the LCBO. Doug Ford has indicated that he prefers private sale, although again, there will be restrictions and regulations drafted by the provincial government to make sure that those who sell the product adhere to the criminal code aspect of it. In other words, vendors would understand that only a limited quantity can be sold, that they can’t market it, can’t sell to children and that other limitations will apply. Reviewing what the provincial governments have said, the age limit will be 19 in most, if not all, provinces.

What about the fact that people are still facing fines or jail time over marijuana, when the government is about to start selling the same product?

I have some misgivings about the way things are being policed at this time, when it’s apparent that sometime this year marijuana will be decriminalized. And those people currently looking at fines and criminal charges or criminal records, are still potentially exposed. I see that as being a legitimate concern of many people. But, as things stand, it is still an illegal substance. The black market still does exist. So the government, in continuing to charge people with possession, is refusing to ease sanctions on something which the black market still controls. Again, it is walking a bit of a tightrope … if you undertake a criminal activity, you are subject to those criminal sanctions. They want to be able to control and regulate every aspect of it, including the social negatives associated with marijuana use. The government is very concerned that that process follow an appropriate, structured move forward … At the end of the day, there’s more oversight. The public will be able to make inquiries [about the product they’re buying]. You can’t do that with some drug dealer on the corner. Nothing is going to be perfect with respect to this legislation, but you have to think of it as which of the two regimes is the more positive, the more beneficial from a societal standpoint. A lot still has to be worked through. It’s going to be an interesting couple of years, at least. There’s a Chinese curse — ‘May you live in interesting times.’ [Laughs] And we’re living in interesting times.