It’s too early for private cannabis sales in Ontario

What a relief to see that Doug Ford’s love affair with the free market won’t lead to a group hug with privatesector cannabis retailers when recreational pot is legalized.

Back-pedaling from statements made before the provincial election, that he preferred a privately-run system for selling marijuana, Ontario’s premier designate has confirmed only government-operated stores will be selling the drug — at least for now.

Chalk up one smart move for Ford.

It’s the best decision for a province scrambling to be ready when the 95-year-old era of cannabis prohibition ends on Oct. 17.

Just as importantly, Ford’s measured, even cautious approach to the complicated matter of selling pot shows that at least some of the time he’s prepared to go slow and properly manage a major change.

That’s what being a real “Progressive Conservative” should be about.

Yet even before being sworn in as premier, Ford has barged ahead on several fronts, announcing a hiring freeze for most of the province’s public sector, while pulling the plug on Ontario’s cap-and-trade program for fighting climate change.

We can imagine the public sector unions already girding up their collective loins for a fight.

As for the end of cap-and-trade, the unfortunate result for the public could be lawsuits worth billions of dollars, a hole in the provincial budget from lost capand-trade revenues, and a protracted legal battle with the federal government, which is ready to impose its own carbon tax on Ontario.

The bullish Ford has already left a lot of shattered pieces on the floor of the Ontario china shop. But his careful approach to cannabis sales suggests he has a more prudent side.

“I’m private sector — I don’t believe government should stick their nose into everything,” Ford said last week, even as he confirmed a subsidiary of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario would have a monopoly on running recreational cannabis retail outlets.

So why did he resist his capitalist instincts?

“This is a road we have to tread carefully,” Ford said about the legalization of recreational cannabis, which the federal government approved last week. “My priority is to make sure we protect the children.”

And so it should be. Ford rightly points out that the LCBO has decades of experience buying, distributing and selling a controlled substance in Ontario — alcohol — and keeping it out of underage hands. It has the trained, knowledgeable staff and infrastructure in place, too.

Just like alcohol, cannabis can be used responsibly for pleasure. But just like alcohol, cannabis can be abused, resulting in dangers such as impaired driving and harmful consumption by the young.

The task of getting government-operated recreational cannabis stores up and running by mid-October is formidable enough. While provinces such as Alberta and Manitoba will allow private stores to sell pot this fall, Ontario doesn’t have time to change course and successfully do the same thing in just a few months.

Nor should it rush ahead with any plans for privatesector pot sales in the near future.

So, kudos to Ford for sticking with the public sector on this occasion. One major task facing his government will be opening enough government-controlled stores as expeditiously as possible so that people don’t turn to the black market.

It may be that in the coming years, private-sector retailers can be allowed into the market, something Ford is ready to explore.

For now, however, Ontario should handle the transition to legalized pot as planned — one day at a time.