Plus, the number of stores at launch is way too low - people will simply continue to purchase higher quality weed for less money from private sellers. It's a bad move all around.
Yes, yes, yes. Why can't they regulate it like cigarettes?
The argument about keeping it out of the hands of minors is bullshit. It's already illegal to sell tobacco products to people under age in Ontario.
LCBO and the Beer Store are stupid ideas from a bygone era that need to end. Legal monopolies of provincial owned entities should not be permitted.
I'm not saying full privatization is the right answer, because I don't believe the free market solution is always best, but at least allow private competition to a crown corp. LCBO has no motivation to innovate because there is little/no competition.
Having experienced both, as a consumer I prefer the Alberta model with privatized retailers because there are far more stores and the hours are better. Actually, I found this old Fraser Institute report on the privatization of liquor in Alberta to be rather interesting. https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/Privatiz...
It's not a big deal for me personally, but there's also more room for unique shops. For example, one of the markets nearby does a lot of specialty whiskey imports.
You have a real-life experiment with which to compare, in the LCBO, to see that progress will extremely slow, and limited. How long did it take to get beer into grocery stores (and even then with some restrictions)? That's beer. How long will it take with weed?