While many consumers and companies are excited that marijuana sales will be legal in October, it may not all be good news. With legalization paving the way for more people consuming pot, it could create big problems both in Canada and south of the border.
Many lessons can be learned from Colorado
In an interview with BNN Bloomberg recently, Bill Ritter, former governor of Colorado, noted many downsides that have come with being the first U.S. state to legalize pot, one of which was that the state became a destination for those looking to smoke and grow pot. This has even attracted criminal organizations that tried to set up illegal grow-ops with the expectation that legal enforcement would turn a blind eye.
Many people were simply ignorant to the fact that although marijuana was legalized, it didn’t mean that it was available to sell and grow in any way, shape or form. Enforcement is still necessary, and the former governor noted that a reduction in policing is one of the biggest myths associated with marijuana legalization.
Normally, places that look to legalize pot have already made steps toward decriminalizing it, and so the net impact of legalization will be minimal, perhaps even non-existent. Colorado has definitely benefited from an increase in marijuana sales as a way of generating tax revenues for the state, but it has not seen the black market disappear.
David Jagielski – Motley Fool – July 17, 2018
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