Pot-Induced Delusions
Governments and organizations all over Canada have pot-induced delusions.
We know that there’s a growing likelihood that marijuana will be legalized.
What’s less likely is how it can be monetized.
The market may be worth anywhere from $3 to $10 billion per year within a few years. This compares to about $42 billion for alcohol in Canada, most of which is tax (about 70%, or about $30 billion).
Governments seem to be wringing their hands, getting ready for the big inflow of cash from marijuana sales, much like they have with alcohol.
When alcohol can kill you if you fail to make it properly, consumers are easily swayed into buying volume products that ultimately wind up tasting like crap and it’s easy to monopolize products that rely 100% on purity and quality.
This rationale is critical to governments being able to monetize and control alcohol sales, regardless of how regressive these taxes are (and they are).
Marijuana, on the other hand, has many names: pot, ganga, weed.
This is a reminder that it’s called weed for a reason: because it will grow in abundance anywhere with a minimum amount of attention.
And quality is less an issue with home-grown weed. You get a pot, put some dirt in it and watch it grow. Pick it, dry it, enjoy it.
No quality tests, no labs, no labels. No CONTROL.
Within 5 years, I’m sure there will be many folks who act like good sheeple and who wander into the PCBO (Pot Control Board of Ontario) blindly looking for the Bud-Light version of weed (pun intended), but the reality is that the vast majority of users will simply take care of themselves.
There may be a short-term spike in hydroponics and bud sales, but once the Pandora’s Box is open, weed will be ubiquitous.
As they say, you can decriminalize and legalize OR you can monetize.
You cannot do both.