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Alberta is going to pot.

The question is, will it be public or private?

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During this fall’s sitting of the legislative assembly (which starts Oct. 30), the government will introduce a bill to regulate the distribution and sale of cannabis. That’s the dope, so to speak, from a government source.

What the source can’t say is if the government will only allow sales through government-run outlets or permit privately owned stores.

There are just too many unanswered questions, including how best to keep pot out of the hands of anyone under 18. But key among them: how much will Ottawa tax your toke? Setting up a chain of government-run hemporiums will be expensive for the province. Alberta is waiting to see if the federal government will be cutting the grass too short, leaving little room for the NDP to add on its own tax, to be blunt (OK, here endeth my doobie entendres).

But there’s another issue at play. Unions, via the Alberta Federation of Labour, are beginning to advocate for government-run outlets that will employ unionized workers. Those workers would likely be represented by the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees.