If Canadians felt strongly enough about the cannabis trade, legalization wouldn’t look as it currently does- like a large cannabis bud without a trace of trichomes.
There’s big business staking its claim with an army of lobbyists and fake capital supplied by the banks, while pioneers of Canada’s cannabis industry, many of them in British Columbia, are still fighting for their survival, weakened by inflation and bureaucracy.
A free market is a voluntary exchange between two or more persons. A fair market is one governed by the legal traditions supporting Western civilization.
Since we don’t have a free market for alcohol or tobacco or even basic essentials like food and fuel — what hope in hell is there for a free and fair cannabis market?
Instead, Canada’s legalization is a giant broken window. As in the broken window fallacy demonstrated by 19th century French liberal Frédéric Bastiat. Where the government destroys one market to “create” another.
BC Bud has been called organized crime. Unworthy of a seat at the legalization roundtable. Still, many work behind the scenes to correct this injustice.
In the meantime, the large licensed producers get first dibs on recreational markets. The same LPs who are the product of Stephen Harper’s now unconstitutional medical regulations.
Local British Columbian politicians have been no help either. Trailing in almost every aspect, what B.C. lacks in the number of licensed retail and producers, it makes up for with its underground market.
But the provincial government has taken all the worst parts of alcohol and tobacco regulations and applied them to cannabis.
The City of Vancouver has ordered the shut down of long-standing dispensaries.
The consequence of these actions is a flight of cannabis wealth from one region of Canada to another.
From B.C. to, mostly, Ontario.
And why not? They have a larger population and without the housing shortages many B.C. communities face.
They have major highways connected to more populated areas of the United States. The land is more affordable. And local politicians aren’t afraid of zoning in the LPs since this region is already dominated by corporate agriculture.
In a free and fair market, prosperity doesn’t come at the expense of others.
Ontario is becoming Canada’s pot capital by illegitimate means.
What about Calgary, Alberta? No provincial sales tax and fewer government regulations? This is propelling the city to number one nationwide for cannabis shops.
They have more legal stores than Vancouver, Canada’s traditional pot capital.
As for Vancouver, as I mentioned, they’ve driven out the dispensaries of old. The frontiersmen and women of cannabis in Canada. It’s a brave new world now. And not in the good way. But it’s also darkest before dawn.
Cannabis investor Steve DeAngelo isn’t a fan of Canada’s licensed producers. He says they lack quality bud, especially in the terpene department. I find the same thing. So do others.
And in the end, that’s all that matters.
These corporate cannabis giants are paper tigers.
Shareholders essentially donate their investments so LPs can sell over-packaged and inferior weed at inflated costs to, in many cases, government-owned cannabis stores.
They got a head start with recreational legalization. BC Bud is playing catch-up in the halls of government bureaucracy.
In the end, the farmers with the best cannabis win.
My money is on BC Bud.
Featured image courtesy of Japan Times.