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Whether you're for or against the legalization of cannabis, Canadian taxpayers should know the civil liability that the government has created for all of us. The Canadian government has failed to recognize that it is not insulated from civil lawsuits in the same way as black-market drug dealers. Here is some free business advice from a personal injury lawyer to protect our government from the laws of unintended consequences. Bought bad weed or had a bad trip? You were ingesting an illegal substance bought from a drug dealer. You cannot sue. Any adverse effects are your problem. Bought your pot from the Canadian government? Bought bad pot with bugs, mould or banned pesticides on it? You can sue. In many cases, our drug-dealer government may be the one getting sued. By extension, Canadian taxpayers will foot the bill.

MICHEL COMTE via Getty Images A selection of marijuana ordered from the Ontario Cannabis Store.

Cannabis was legalized on Oct. 17, 2018 in Canada, only the second country in the world behind Uruguay. As such, we are blazing trails for other countries. Being a trailblazer means we are creating the cannabis framework, policies and procedures as we go along. In roughly four months, there have already been many missteps. The government expects that consumers will continue to purchase legally through an online store despite a price that is 50 per cent higher than the black market. The government fails to recognize that once a purchase order has been processed, they have entered into a contract with the consumer to deliver the product as promised and in a timely manner. Customer orders are tough to fulfill when suppliers have cannabis shortages. Mislabelled product is another cause for concern.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - OCS.ca Fleur de Lune Intimate Spray was initially mislabelled as a sublingual product when it was posted on the Ontario Cannabis Store website.

On the first day of legalization, a cannabis product marketed as a female genital spray intended to reduce pain and inflammation was mislabelled as an oral product. In another situation, a B.C. woman purchased a cannabis product that was labelled as high-CBD and low-THC when the opposite was, in fact, true. THC is the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. The result for this woman was increased anxiety and decreased productivity. She has started a lawsuit as a result of the mislabelled product. Mislabelling cannabis products is not only negligent but extremely dangerous. There could be potentially devastating consequences if someone receives a high-THC dosage unknowingly and the government could be held liable, if such a consequence happened. In New Brunswick, a class action lawsuit has been launched against a company for using a banned pesticide on cannabis that was consumed by medical marijuana users and allegedly caused them to suffer negative health effects. If the government is either overseeing the supplier or selling product from the supplier, then the government could be held liable.