Robert Celt
New Member
With the Supreme Court of Canada having decided in the Allard case that medical cannabis patients will continue to have the right to grow their own medicine, it is time to have an honest conversation about the plan to legalize cannabis as a whole.
The Cannabis Growers of Canada represent small cannabis growers and dispensaries across Canada, and we believe that the solution to Canada's cannabis debate is not more heavy-handed enforcement and lucrative monopolies for a few big corporations, but rather an entirely new, made-in-Canada approach to sensible cannabis regulation.
In a world where the courts have reaffirmed the rights of individuals to safely grow and consume cannabis, what is the point of trying to force a heavy-handed, top-down system for the whole industry? At a time when the premier of Ontario is confident the average grocery store employee can be safely taught how to sell a bottle of wine, why are our politicians racing to propose the most ridiculous and restrictive system for growing and selling cannabis?
The reality is that cannabis is about to be legalized because the average Canadian doesn't have much of a problem with adults consuming it, if they choose to do so. Most Canadians recognize that having a puff of a joint after a long day at work is little different than enjoying a nice bottle of wine with dinner, or a cold beer on a hot summer day.
And if we all know this to be true – cannabis is not going anywhere, because most people don't mind it at all – then why not accept that truth?
Canada has already embraced our craft beer and local wine sectors, recognizing correctly that if people want to drink beer and wine, we should embrace that fact and let our microbrewing and winery sectors flourish. The explosion in the Canadian craft brewing sector, and the continued success of the Okanagan and Niagara wine tourism sectors, speaks to the fundamental truth at play here.
Canada stands at a crossroads in cannabis legalization: we can create another miserable, illogical monopoly, selling massed-produced, low quality cannabis, or we can proudly embrace what we at the Cannabis Growers of Canada call craft cannabis.
Craft cannabis is a simple concept: local growers selling their fresh, high-quality product to professional dispensaries that operate to the standards of their local community. It means good paying jobs for young people in their local communities, both rural and urban.
It also means tourism revenue, much like our wine sector. In the first year of Colorado's legalized cannabis system, the state posted its highest tourism revenues ever, $19 billion dollars. A craft cannabis economy that capitalizes on powerful brands like "B.C. Bud" could bring a similar boon to the Canadian tourism economy.
At a time when the Canadian economy is struggling to create good quality jobs for many Canadians, and when opportunities for entrepreneurs have never been more scarce, why not accept that a thriving, responsible, sustainable cannabis sector could be a huge boost to job creation?
The reality is that the Allard ruling has confirmed what we already all know – cannabis isn't going anywhere. People across Canada will continue to safely consume it every day, especially now that it will be grown in backyards across the country.
Isn't it time we embraced that reality, and accepted craft cannabis as just another productive, valuable part of our economy?
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Time To Accept Craft Cannabis As A Sector Of Our Economy
Author: Ian Dawkins
Contact: The Vancouver Sun
Photo Credit: Marina Riker
Website: The Vancouver Sun
The Cannabis Growers of Canada represent small cannabis growers and dispensaries across Canada, and we believe that the solution to Canada's cannabis debate is not more heavy-handed enforcement and lucrative monopolies for a few big corporations, but rather an entirely new, made-in-Canada approach to sensible cannabis regulation.
In a world where the courts have reaffirmed the rights of individuals to safely grow and consume cannabis, what is the point of trying to force a heavy-handed, top-down system for the whole industry? At a time when the premier of Ontario is confident the average grocery store employee can be safely taught how to sell a bottle of wine, why are our politicians racing to propose the most ridiculous and restrictive system for growing and selling cannabis?
The reality is that cannabis is about to be legalized because the average Canadian doesn't have much of a problem with adults consuming it, if they choose to do so. Most Canadians recognize that having a puff of a joint after a long day at work is little different than enjoying a nice bottle of wine with dinner, or a cold beer on a hot summer day.
And if we all know this to be true – cannabis is not going anywhere, because most people don't mind it at all – then why not accept that truth?
Canada has already embraced our craft beer and local wine sectors, recognizing correctly that if people want to drink beer and wine, we should embrace that fact and let our microbrewing and winery sectors flourish. The explosion in the Canadian craft brewing sector, and the continued success of the Okanagan and Niagara wine tourism sectors, speaks to the fundamental truth at play here.
Canada stands at a crossroads in cannabis legalization: we can create another miserable, illogical monopoly, selling massed-produced, low quality cannabis, or we can proudly embrace what we at the Cannabis Growers of Canada call craft cannabis.
Craft cannabis is a simple concept: local growers selling their fresh, high-quality product to professional dispensaries that operate to the standards of their local community. It means good paying jobs for young people in their local communities, both rural and urban.
It also means tourism revenue, much like our wine sector. In the first year of Colorado's legalized cannabis system, the state posted its highest tourism revenues ever, $19 billion dollars. A craft cannabis economy that capitalizes on powerful brands like "B.C. Bud" could bring a similar boon to the Canadian tourism economy.
At a time when the Canadian economy is struggling to create good quality jobs for many Canadians, and when opportunities for entrepreneurs have never been more scarce, why not accept that a thriving, responsible, sustainable cannabis sector could be a huge boost to job creation?
The reality is that the Allard ruling has confirmed what we already all know – cannabis isn't going anywhere. People across Canada will continue to safely consume it every day, especially now that it will be grown in backyards across the country.
Isn't it time we embraced that reality, and accepted craft cannabis as just another productive, valuable part of our economy?
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Time To Accept Craft Cannabis As A Sector Of Our Economy
Author: Ian Dawkins
Contact: The Vancouver Sun
Photo Credit: Marina Riker
Website: The Vancouver Sun
