Ontario's premier Kathleen Wynne says that the government-run liquor distributor LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) is "well suited" to selling marijuana alongside alcohol once it becomes legalized in Canada.
"It makes sense to me that the liquor distribution mechanism that we have in place - the LCBO - is very well suited to putting in place the social responsibility aspects that would need to be in place," she said, according to the CBC.
Wynne's thoughts echo those of LCBO's workers' union head Warren (Smokey) Thomas, who also said that the LCBO would be the best place to distribute marijuana, citing the company's ID policies and "very secure" warehouse system, according to the CBC.
"If legalization happens, marijuana must be a controlled substance, and no one has more experience retailing controlled substances than the workers at the LCBO," Thomas said, according to The Star.
Other provinces have also suggested that their own provincial liquor stores would be the best place to distribute marijuana. In November, Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger claimed that while cannabis products are "highly addictive drugs," selling them at the MLCC (Manitoba Liquor Control Commission) offers the best opportunity for Manitobans to be protected from them, according to the Winnipeg Free Press. MLCC CEO John Stinson said at the same time that studying the sales of cannabis in Colorado, Washington and Oregon - the three U.S. states that have already legalized the sale of cannabis products - will help determine the role that government-run liquor distributors will play once marijuana is legalized in Canada.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made promises during the Canadian election that his party would legalize the recreational use of marijuana, though an official timeline has yet to be established. However, Trudeau has already slated his newly appointed Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale and Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould to help create a process to accomplish legalization which will involve government process at both the federal and provincial level as well as consultation with legal authorities and public health officials, according to the CBC.
