And now, for a story that could only happen in Canada.
In America, marijuana use is generally illegal. In any given day it is easy to find news of various drug busts that scoop up otherwise respectable citizens. There has recently been a concerted push to legalize marjiuana use for medical purposes, and some local jurisdictions support this, but marijuana possession remains a federal crime.
A few weeks ago, events in Canada presented a vision of what the future might be like if marijuana was legalized for medical use here. The Canadian government was forced into supplying marijuana to qualified individuals by a series of court decisions, but in the end it apparently decided to make the best of things. Financial records revealed that they were applying a 1,500% markup to the weed sold to patients. The resulting uproar had a comforting familiarity to anyone who has witnessed fights over health care prices in the U.S. It is a bit difficult however to understand the economics. According to this news story:
There are 1,742 patients authorized by Health Canada to possess dried pot as a medication. Of these, 1,040 are licensed to grow their own, and another 167 people are licensed to grow marijuana for the exclusive use of licensed patients.
So it would seem that the small number of customers could grow their own supply — unless the costs of running a smaller operation are greater than the markup. The imbroglio goes to show how quickly forbidden luxuries come to be seen as rights, and with low prices demanded. It is a little ironic given that marijuana use is still illegal for the rest of the Canadian population. I am sure many of them would be willing to pay the markup to enjoy a legal joint that would never show up on a background check.