Real Canadians opinions on legalization

Success and failures so far in Canada

With legalization in full force, you would think that Canadians would be happy, considering legal access to marijuana, which is known to relax its users, is now widely available to anyone in need. Or is it? It seems more Canadians are asking questions like “When will I get my weed? And “Should I order weed online?” Instead of questions about different strains and other helpful information for consumers. The reason for this being that legal weed is harder than many realize to get, and when it arrives, the overall quality of the product has been brought into question. So, is legalization working in Canada? Well, it appears that the entire system has been fraught with issues beginning at grower level, working all the way up the chain to the customers. We decided to cover all the most popular complaints since legalization.

Delays

Delays in delivery seem to be the number one customer complaint. Somehow, the government claims that the demand for marijuana has been much higher than they could have predicted siting issues with grower’s ability to keep up to demand. Many Canadians disagree with this as a valid reason considering legalization has been in the works for over a year now. Allowing the government plenty of time to plan and prepare for what would be one of the most significant milestones this generation will ever see. The second reason being given is the notorious Canada Post delays. Canada Post has been in talks with its union for months now with no sign of a contract in sight. Canada Post chose to begin rotating strikes within days of legalization happening making already late packages even later and angering customers across the country. For example, OCS claims to offer two days shipping, while the majority of those who placed orders mere minutes into legalization had orders either completely canceled without warning or showing up weeks after the promised delivery date.

Quality

One of the most significant selling points of government regulated weed was supposed to be quality. Several ads run by the Canadian government even implied your local dealer could be poisoning you with mold and bacteria and that the variety of strains they would offer were supposed to surpass average black-market dealer quality. Unfortunately, it seems that isn’t the case. With only a few select strains available online, and most of them being sold out within minutes, most folks were left with whatever was left to choose from, and the quality of what arrived is seriously questionable. Here CBC news speaks with several unhappy customers who have found mold upon opening their long-awaited goods. RedeCan admits to receiving only five complaints so far from its customers about moldy bud, but this brings into question the overall quality of product that everyone got since a minor amount of mold can escape the untrained eye quite easily. Only time will tell just how many end up sick from ingesting the so-called high-quality government regulated pot.

Cost
The third most common complaint about legalization, was about the average price of marijuana, with as many as 4 in 10 Canadians citing cost as their main deciding factor on whether they would purchase legally. Price is clearly an important factor. It seems that the current philosophy being followed is not meant to completely kill the black market of illegal drug dealers and more so focused on selling the product with promises of better quality over quantity. With average prices varying a great deal by province. Here’s the breakdown of the average cost per gram in each province.

British Columbia: $6.99-$16.50 per gram

Alberta: $9.30-$15.50 per gram

Saskatchewan: $13-$16 per gram

Manitoba: $11-$13 per gram

Ontario: $7.90-$13.50 per gram

Quebec: $5.25 per gram

New Brunswick: $8-$14.99 per gram

Nova Scotia: $6.30-$10.99 per gram

Prince Edward Island: $5.50-$8 per gram

Newfoundland and Labrador: $4.50-$7 per gram

Yukon: $6-$20 per gram

Nunavut: $12-$16 per gram

Northwest Territories: $13-$17.50 per gram

Mislabeled Products
One of the most famous mistakes made by OCS was advertising a genital spray as an oral liquid tincture, but they aren't the only ones who appeared to have a problem with labeling. From attempting to navigate websites that seemed so vague that a customer could barely if at all tell what a product was even for or how it was to be ingested. While so far there have been no reported injuries, customers do not take lightly to experimenting with unknown products and paying a small fortune to do it.

Lack of storefronts
Many Canadians are frustrated by the lack of storefronts with only a select few stores opening in provinces who have chosen to supply licenses to certain retailers. Finding one within a reasonable distance can be quite challenging even for those located in city centers. With a few provinces like Ontario refusing any legal dispensaries the ability to open their doors before April 2019, it is a struggle, particularly for those new to the culture, not to be able to see, smell, and fully understand a product before purchasing.

While the year is still young, many will agree that legalization in Canada has been nowhere near ideal and that the entire system needs to be looked at before customers will be able to build confidence in the products being sold and advertised by licensed retailers. Only time will tell just how well legalization in Canada is working for the average pot smokers who have been readily awaiting this significant change for years.