Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
I've said that as long as there's still a stigma around pot, retail sales will face competition from the black market, especially if the black market also beats retail on price. And regulators openly acknowledge the issue of price sensitivity. They've come right out and said if they set the price too high, or set the age limit too high, lots of Canadians will stick with the black market.
One of the principle reasons for legalization of pot is that criminalization failed to suppress demand and consumption. For the government to take away customers from the black market, they'll have to beat the black market.
|
I don't think anyone is disputing the price argument, but you seem to be arguing that even if prices are similar, that a significant percentage of users will still get their weed from the black market and I'm asking you for some evidence to demonstrate why you believe that because all evidence from other jurisdictions seems to indicate that isn't true. Does the stigma not exist in these other jurisdictions?
The one issue I've had with Liberals on this is that their message hasn't been entirely clear on what they see the role of legalization being. Is it to reduce the burden on the criminal justice system? Is it to put a dent in organized crime? Is it to boost government revenue from taxes? So far the only thing I've heard consistently is that they think legalization will be more effective at keeping marijuana out of the hands of kids. I tend to agree with this but it only works if you can significantly put a dent in black market and price is the most crucial aspect of that.