Over the course of several weeks, Canadians have faced frustrating barriers as well as relieving realities as they continue to seek out recreational cannabis. As of October 17, the little green plant was deemed 100% legal by Canadian officials, but some restrictions still apply to product like edibles (which will not be officiated until 2019). Despite the positive outcomes of the budding, multi-billion dollar marijuana industry, however, lawmakers and officials are still concerned about the possibility of black market integration and investment. Do they have a cause for concern? According to the federal government, organized crime will not be a problem. What is Canada’s plan to crack down on these activities? Let’s take a closer look and find out why Canadian officials are no longer worried about black market marijuana trading.
Cracking Down on Crime
Through the Access to Information Act, the National Post acquired documents (some directly linked to the Public Safety Canada deputy minister) that have clearly proclaimed that black market trading will not be different from legal trading in the cannabis industry. Furthermore, the documents hint that nine federal agencies in Canada had been influenced by the media’s suggestion that illegal groups were investing in the legal cannabis industry. In response to the memo, officials have issued a call for transparency regarding legalization.
So, how did the memo respond? Simply put, officials declared “not a problem.” According to their bulletins, black market marijuana does not pose a threat to the legal market, and the industry does not contain “pull factors” that could attract black market dealers.
Additional Concerns
While lawmakers are not concerned about this situation at hand, they are still voicing concern over the illegal marijuana market, overall. Shockingly, there are more black market dispensaries than Starbucks locations in Vancouver alone. In fact, these underground retailers have continued to thrive in the legal market, as their locations still remain unknown. This issue, in total, has fed the fires of the heated argument between the Liberal and Conservative parties, considerably so.
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