Editor, The News:
The discussion at the UBCM about where adults may purchase pot when it becomes legal next year clearly ignores the experience our country has had limiting tobacco sales to minors.
The last Health Canada survey reports that 46 per cent of 15- to 18-year-olds purchase tobacco directly from private retailers.
Retailers have had the legal requirement to not sell tobacco to minors since 1908, yet in the past 109 years private retailers have come nowhere near reaching full compliance with the law.
And the report states retailer compliance is getting worse and the worst offenders are small independent retailers.
Now with legal pot sales coming our way, the debate is whether private retailers should have the right to sell pot (and they are lobbying hard for this right) or let government sell pot so sales to minors can be better controlled.
It is important to note that in the U.S. where private retailers sell pot there has been no significant reduction of the use of pot by minors.
Our federal government’s primary motivation to legalize pot sales was to reduce the use of pot by minors.
So far, it appears only the government of Ontario has taken the correct steps by deciding to only sell pot in government owned stores.
Let’s not repeat the mistakes we have made with tobacco as we move to legalized pot sale.
Art Van Pelt
Maple Ridge
