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It was the worst possible provincial legalization plan, but it just became official. The Liberal government of Ontario announced a state monopoly on the sale of legal non-medical cannabis, combined with a massive crackdown on the existing cannabis industry.

Legalization wasn’t supposed to be like this. Canadians increasingly supported ending cannabis criminalization after watching billions of tax dollars wasted by law enforcement going after peaceful people for pot.

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Marijuana has been grown and consumed in Canada for decades without any measurable negative impact on the health and safety of society. In fact, the impact has been more positive than negative, especially for sick and suffering citizens.

Medical marijuana has been widely accepted for many years now thanks to scientific evidence and tireless advocacy of “illegal” patients, growers and dispensaries. Those gains and legalized medical access were hard-fought and won in court by people who suffered raids and arrests.