<story><title>Canada to announce marijuana will be legal by July 1, 2018</title><url>http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/liberal-legal-marijuana-pot-1.4041902</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>noarchy</author><text>&amp;gt;But the provinces will have the right to decide how the marijuana is distributed and sold. Provincial governments will also have the right to set price.&lt;p&gt;I don&amp;#x27;t look forward to the potential outcome of this. Most provinces have long been saddled with alcohol monopolies that keep prices quite high, particularly when compared to neighbouring US states. I can easily see provinces setting up similar, monopolized retail systems for weed.&lt;p&gt;Canada already has a huge black market in untaxed cigarettes, and if provinces are not careful with prices&amp;#x2F;taxes, the already-existing black market in marijuana will live on.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>eyeJam</author><text>I can never find sympathy for people who complain about high alcohol tax in Canada. Is this something that really affects your quality of life? Or is it more of personal inconvenience? Alcohol taxes violate vertical equity. And they should. Lower income individuals should not be encouraged to purchase more alcohol, since they are more likely to be vulnerable to the negative social, mental and physical effects of alcohol consumption. Reducing alcohol tax leads to a greater burden on the healthcare system.</text></comment>
<story><title>Canada to announce marijuana will be legal by July 1, 2018</title><url>http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/liberal-legal-marijuana-pot-1.4041902</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>noarchy</author><text>&amp;gt;But the provinces will have the right to decide how the marijuana is distributed and sold. Provincial governments will also have the right to set price.&lt;p&gt;I don&amp;#x27;t look forward to the potential outcome of this. Most provinces have long been saddled with alcohol monopolies that keep prices quite high, particularly when compared to neighbouring US states. I can easily see provinces setting up similar, monopolized retail systems for weed.&lt;p&gt;Canada already has a huge black market in untaxed cigarettes, and if provinces are not careful with prices&amp;#x2F;taxes, the already-existing black market in marijuana will live on.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>snowwindwaves</author><text>the legitimate market will still have to compete with the black market.  Many of my friends in BC prefer going to dispensaries because of the variety and consistency of the products as well as convenience vs. meeting your dealer and buying whatever he has. I also think the legitimate grow ops are going to end up being a lot more efficient because they won&amp;#x27;t have to make any effort hiding from authorities.</text></comment>