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Conservative Party could be a friend to weed

Published on September 17, 2021 by David Wylie

I’m going to go out on a limb and say something surprising.

The Conservative Party of Canada could be a political leader in cannabis. All they need to do is align their business strategy to their cannabis strategy (whatever it is).

So far this election, the Conservatives are silent on weed.

It’s not mentioned in their Canada Recovery Plan, and there is a reluctance to speak about it. Conservative Dan Albas, who is the incumbent MP in the riding of Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, opted not to answer questions. He explained he couldn’t speak to the issues, but invited cannabis companies to reach out to him.

Interesting comparison though: you may recall that Albas put forward a Private Member’s bill on wine.

Ol’ timey Reefer Madness

“Marijuana, the burning weed with its roots in hell!” So goes the historic Reefer Madness video.

It’s obvious some of the older Conservative base are not a fans of ‘marijuana.’

Still, fiscal conservatives should fully, completely endorse legalization and free enterprise in all areas of the cannabis sector.

Legalization opens a new market and axes government spending on policing.

The new tax revenue can help balance the budget and pay down the deficit.

And it helps their base

A growing portion of the Conservatives’ favourite demographic is using medical cannabis. There is a lot that a motivated federal government can do to improve those Health Canada policies.

Cannabis is here to stay. There’s really no point in trying to wish this genie back in the bottle.

It simply remains a question of whether a Conservative government would approach pot as a social issue or an economic one. Perhaps the Tories will have a chance to prove they won’t make a mess of cannabis.

Agree or disagree, let me know: [email protected]