Ontarians aren’t happy with cannabis access, but Caledon not opting in, yet

A survey of Ontario residents showed issues with access, price and packaging for marijuana

Jan. 16, 2020
Yorkregion.com
Matthew Strader

Responsible Cannabis Use, a member of the Ontario Cannabis Policy Council, surveyed Ontario residents to gauge opinions on legal cannabis.

What came back was concerns with access, price, packaging and quality, and the advocacy organization said if access isn’t improved, the government really isn’t combatting the black market.

“The potential for the recreational cannabis industry is huge. However, with only 24 stores for 14 million Ontarians, there are simply not enough locations to compete with the illicit market,” said Trevor Fencott, chief executive officer of Fire & Flower and co-chair of the Ontario Cannabis Policy Council. “Continuing along the path of reform will open the door for major economic growth, resulting in thousands of jobs and a boost to investor confidence.”

According to the survey, 50 per cent of Ontarians said 50 per cent of respondents said they can’t wait to see more stores in their area, 33 per cent said they will continue to use the illicit market, and only one per cent said they will continue to buy from the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS).

In addition, 64 per cent of respondents said they do not think the prices of OCS product are reasonable, but 23 per cent told surveyors they are willing to pay more to know what they are buying.

And 46 per cent of Ontarians said they believe market demand should influence the number of stores. Compared to the 25 licensed cannabis retailers in Ontario, there are 860 LCBO stores and partner locations, and more than 450 Beer Stores. The province of Alberta has 353 cannabis stores to serve a population of approximately 4.3 million.

On crime, statistics from the OPP show that drug crimes have decreased in Caledon since the legalization of cannabis.

In Jan. 2019, Caledon council opted out of hosting retail cannabis outlets, and on the eve of the one-year anniversary, Caledon’s Mayor said there is no change on the horizon, while regional councillor Ian Sinclair said residents indicated a preference for a different system.

“At the present time there are no plans to opt in to the province’s retail sales framework,” said Thompson.

No other members of council responded to questions.

“Residents who contacted me expressed concerns with private retail outlets in Caledon. They seemed more supportive of the originally proposed use of LCBO where there exists trained staff and age limits on sales,” said Sinclair.

“The Ford Conservative government kept changing the rules on cannabis sales prior to council’s decision and now have changed them again. Council decided to opt out of having retail cannabis with the proviso that Caledon could opt in whenever there were clear, stable rules.”

On Dec. 12, the Ford government announced moving to a more open market for cannabis by removing the temporary cap on private stores, and eliminating pre-qualification requirements for prospective retailers.

"We have said all along that opening more legal stores is the most effective way to combat the illicit market, protect our kids and keep our communities safe. That is our number one priority," Attorney General Doug Downey said.

The province is also looking to allow licensed producers to open retail outlets at their production locations.

While Caledon is not looking at retail locations just yet, Thompson did say the town is continuing to look at amending its zoning to allow production on agricultural lands.

“We are reviewing our zoning bylaw, however, to ensure it is up-to-date with regards to the growing of cannabis on agricultural lands. Our goal is to have provisions in place that ensure this legal product – if it’s grown on a commercial scale in Caledon – is done so safely with proper safeguards and parameters around odour, location, safety, etc.”