The Liquor Marts of today are far removed from the Liquor Commissions or LCs of Manitoba’s past. A selection was behind a counter, a customer wrote their order and put lots of personal information there for tracking and a government worker went into the back and fetched it for you. Cash only, please. Put in a plain paper bag and don’t dare have it anywhere but your trunk, sir.
The good old days.
We just had changes to archaic liquor laws in Manitoba but neither the NDP or Progressive Conservatives like to go too far for labour or religious reasons. Manitoba might eventually be the only place in North America with government stores.
Now, don’t get me wrong… the Liquor Marts of today are far better than the sullen shops of the past. The liquor laws as well. However, as we have been told, Manitoba liquor is the most expensive in the nation. Our government has boasted how proud they are of it.
The government is so proud of their achievement that they have merged liquor and lotteries. Both businesses need to be government owned according to the government. Best they be together.
Now, Premier Greg Selinger has indicated that marijuana should also be sold by the government in Manitoba. Talk about the triple crown here.
Now, I am not a consumer of pot but I think it is very rich that the government is stepping in here to make sure they can max out on the profits by banning everyone else from selling it. Talk about overstepping.
The early pot shops in Colorado were heavy on security and light on aesthetics. That is changing. The latest store to open in the Denver area saw design reporters attending to comment on the award-winning architects.
An election is coming up and one has to ask: If the federal government moves to laws similar to Colorado on crime and pot, do we really need the province to step in and crush everyone else? Go further with this argument and perhaps we can ask: Do we need to own government liquor stores and casinos? Is there a better way? Is regulation not enough?
Look at what Colorado opened up this week.
Ajoya…get your pot and a Apple computer
Regulate where a pot store goes. Regulate security. But do we need to know it if it legally can be sold?
Winnipeg could see some brilliantly designed stores. The money will pour in. Keep the province safe, healthy and prosperous but stop being mother.
This has been a guest editorial by John Dobbin.
To read more from John, visit his blog Observations, Reservations, Conversations
