same old BS at its finest and all of a sudden the OTHERS are seeing it …
We should be thinking about how we can capitalize on cannabis in a way that benefits the consumers and Hamilton as a whole, and not just look at consumers as a problem that needs to be managed, writes Margaret Shkimba. - Jeff McIntosh , The Canadian Press
Cannabis consumers across Hamilton are right to be concerned about Ward 4 councillor Sam Merulla's motion to just say no to cannabis dispensaries unless a more lucrative revenue sharing model with the province is developed. This tactic effectively holds Hamilton cannabis users hostage to council's political posturing and sets them up as perpetual bait in the continued war against drugs. If the powers that be want to eliminate the illegal trade this is not the tactic to take; it will, instead, guarantee the opposite as consumers continue to deal through their tried, true and convenient illicit supply lines.
We should be thinking about how we can capitalize on cannabis in a way that benefits the consumers and Hamilton as a whole, and not just look at consumers as a problem that needs to be managed. It's been a month since regulation and the world hasn't collapsed, the sky hasn't fallen, cannabis users aren't passed out in the street or jumping off bridges in an hallucinatory episode. It's been pretty much life as normal. I catch a whiff of someone smoking a spliff now and then, but then I always did.
Of course, that could be because of the challenges with supply, the strike at Canada Post, and the mouldy product coming from the Ontario Cannabis Store. It seems like some outreach to the illicit world might have been worthwhile in setting up our system, maybe establish some partnerships and stable supply lines. Bringing the bad guys in from the cold could have led to a more effective system and dealt with the criminal element at the same time. Win-win. As it is, locking out anyone with previous experience leaves the government reinventing the wheel and without the necessary expertise or access to supply lines that could weather the demand of a newly regulated, but previously illegal product. And it has done nothing to eliminate those supply lines except what they've always done and have been doing for years with little real effect.
The legalization of cannabis has brought out a whole host of people looking to cash in on consumer habits. Too many cooks in the kitchen makes for a very expensive pie and government oversight only adds to the increase in production and distribution costs. Someone has to pay the shareholders dividend and the salaries of ex-politicians and police officials now involved in the trade. Someone told them there was money to be made and now everyone wants a piece of the action, all to the detriment of the average consumers, the source of all that money.
The motion from Merulla is not in the best interests of Hamilton cannabis consumers and will continue to make criminals out of otherwise law-abiding Hamilton citizens.
If council has an issue with the process, then they should work with the province for a win-win situation for Hamilton cannabis consumers and let consumers finally take part in the legal economy, without getting ripped off by high prices and mouldy product. By opening Hamilton to dispensaries, consumers are afforded choice in consumption and can walk in without, and out with, product in their pockets or purses. It is irresponsible for councillors to hold their constituents hostage to provincial demands or to use them as pawns in their political machinations.
There's money to be made in cannabis and it begins by treating the consumer with respect, not as a cash cow to be milked for those who, in the past, excoriated their existence as criminals and deviants. Councillors need to act responsibly and negotiate acceptable policies and processes for their constituents. That's what we elect you for.
We should be thinking about how we can capitalize on cannabis in a way that benefits the consumers and Hamilton as a whole, and not just look at consumers as a problem that needs to be managed, writes Margaret Shkimba. - Jeff McIntosh , The Canadian Press
Cannabis consumers across Hamilton are right to be concerned about Ward 4 councillor Sam Merulla's motion to just say no to cannabis dispensaries unless a more lucrative revenue sharing model with the province is developed. This tactic effectively holds Hamilton cannabis users hostage to council's political posturing and sets them up as perpetual bait in the continued war against drugs. If the powers that be want to eliminate the illegal trade this is not the tactic to take; it will, instead, guarantee the opposite as consumers continue to deal through their tried, true and convenient illicit supply lines.
We should be thinking about how we can capitalize on cannabis in a way that benefits the consumers and Hamilton as a whole, and not just look at consumers as a problem that needs to be managed. It's been a month since regulation and the world hasn't collapsed, the sky hasn't fallen, cannabis users aren't passed out in the street or jumping off bridges in an hallucinatory episode. It's been pretty much life as normal. I catch a whiff of someone smoking a spliff now and then, but then I always did.
Of course, that could be because of the challenges with supply, the strike at Canada Post, and the mouldy product coming from the Ontario Cannabis Store. It seems like some outreach to the illicit world might have been worthwhile in setting up our system, maybe establish some partnerships and stable supply lines. Bringing the bad guys in from the cold could have led to a more effective system and dealt with the criminal element at the same time. Win-win. As it is, locking out anyone with previous experience leaves the government reinventing the wheel and without the necessary expertise or access to supply lines that could weather the demand of a newly regulated, but previously illegal product. And it has done nothing to eliminate those supply lines except what they've always done and have been doing for years with little real effect.
The legalization of cannabis has brought out a whole host of people looking to cash in on consumer habits. Too many cooks in the kitchen makes for a very expensive pie and government oversight only adds to the increase in production and distribution costs. Someone has to pay the shareholders dividend and the salaries of ex-politicians and police officials now involved in the trade. Someone told them there was money to be made and now everyone wants a piece of the action, all to the detriment of the average consumers, the source of all that money.
The motion from Merulla is not in the best interests of Hamilton cannabis consumers and will continue to make criminals out of otherwise law-abiding Hamilton citizens.
If council has an issue with the process, then they should work with the province for a win-win situation for Hamilton cannabis consumers and let consumers finally take part in the legal economy, without getting ripped off by high prices and mouldy product. By opening Hamilton to dispensaries, consumers are afforded choice in consumption and can walk in without, and out with, product in their pockets or purses. It is irresponsible for councillors to hold their constituents hostage to provincial demands or to use them as pawns in their political machinations.
There's money to be made in cannabis and it begins by treating the consumer with respect, not as a cash cow to be milked for those who, in the past, excoriated their existence as criminals and deviants. Councillors need to act responsibly and negotiate acceptable policies and processes for their constituents. That's what we elect you for.
