Premier Kathleen Wynne says the LCBO would be “well suited” to sell pot when the federal Liberals move forward with a campaign promise to legalize marijuana in the country.
Speaking to reporters at Queen’s Park following a meeting with Toronto Mayor John Tory Monday, Wynne said using the liquor distribution mechanism already in place in the province “makes a lot of sense.”
“The LCBO is very well suited to putting in place the social responsibility aspects that would need to be in place,” she said Monday.
“Obviously I don’t know what the timeline is with the federal government but it seems to me that using that distribution network of the LCBO, as has been talked about I think in other provinces using their provincial institutions, I think that that makes a lot of sense.”
Wynne’s comments come less than a month after Warren ‘Smokey’ Thomas, the president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, said LCBO stores would be the “safest place to retail marijuana.”
“If legalization happens, marijuana must be a controlled substance, and no one has more experience retailing controlled substances than the workers at the LCBO. The LCBO has a solid track record of responsibly selling alcohol and would bring the same service standard to marijuana,” Thomas said in a news release issued on Nov. 23.
“There needs to be a strong regulatory framework in place, including minimum age limits, a ban on marketing, and a plan to prevent cannabis-impaired driving. If we let industry write the rules, we won’t make any headway in reducing the social harm from marijuana.”
Thomas also said the LCBO’s secure warehouses and world-renowned laboratory would have a role to play if pot is legalized.
“All the infrastructure is in place for a smooth transition to a safer system,” Thomas added. "There’s no need to reinvent the wheel.”
