Entrusting The Distribution of Cannabis To Bureaucrats… Gosh, What A Great Idea!
In terms of discoveries of the decade, revolutionary ideas and flashes of genius, let us add the newest one from Sylvain Pagé, the Parti Québécois Public Health critic who yesterday proposed nothing less than entrusting the distribution of cannabis to bureaucrats of the Quebec government!
We had never seen this coming really, even by a mile!
(Note: here, the author feels the need to pause a little and recover from his emotions … ok, thank you).
Well, let us see more closely how this transcendental vision of public good could materialize.
So : the Parti québécois considers that in order to carry out the responsible distribution of cannabis and to ensure that it is done properly, bureaucrats are best suited for the job.
Let’s then suppose that Premier Philippe Couillard announces the creation of the Department of Pot Enforcement (or, in other words, DOPE).
To make it work, it would take:
- A CEO (a former Liberal candidate will do), an executive secretary, three assistants, two secretaries;
- Eight vice-presidents (human resources, corporate affairs, business development, legal, prevention, partnership, products and tasting);
- 40 directors (by region, product category, distribution network);
- 300 executives because executives must have people to manage, and of course 2,000 store clerks (excuse us: advisors);
- A wonderful big office in a business tower in Montreal, with regional offices;
- A new logo, stationery, an interactive website and a social media campaign;
- Offices (including a corner one for the president), computers, furniture, shredder, but also, labs to test and taste the products!
- Unions (blue-collar workers, clerical workers, support workers, friendly civil servants …);
- And of course, lots of traveling all over the exotic world of hashish and marijuana culture (Middle East, Southeast Asia, South America …).
Now, how much will all that cost? Absolutely nothing because DOPE will add a $ 10 tax per joint of pot sold (which is much less greedy than what the current SAQ asks from wine consumers)! With sales of 10 M of joints annually, the tax will generate annual revenue of $ 100 million!
Then finally, we would go from a system where pot is sold by the organized crime to another where it is sold by a state monopoly. Is there really a difference?
Because with all the taxes that will have to be collected, smokers will of course continue to get their supply from organized crime, as always.
In the end, with such a system, we would be better off staying with the old one … at least the bandits admit that they are bandits.
