A Pluralistic Democracy In Action.

Cash in on pot revenue, think-tank urges Ottawa

VANCOUVER—The federal government should decriminalize marijuana and tax the revenue, says a report released yesterday by the usually conservative Fraser Institute.

Conservative estimates show the government stands to reap an estimated $2 billion in potential revenues annually, said Steve Easton, a professor of economics at Simon Fraser University and senior fellow at the think-tank.

It's not a question of whether Canadians approve or disapprove of marijuana use, Easton suggested.

"I think it's like prohibition in the U.S. in that period, in the sense we've tried to suppress (marijuana use)," he said.

"We've not been successful in doing so and all we do is create an industry that really gives organized crime a chance to get some revenue."

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You know it's time when the conservative think tanks start considering the idea. Of course pressures from the south always seem to preside in these issues once they get close to fruition. I can only imagine what the border would be like if we had legalized marijuana.

The entire debate is really pretty tired. Marijuana could be the source of a lot of tax revenue, saved law enforcement money and increased accessibility to palliative care. Personally I don't smoke much at all but I really have no pressing abjections that come to mind.