LCBO Union Demands To Start Selling Weed In Stores To Save Ontario's Cannabis "Disaster"

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) is calling on Doug Ford to allow the LCBO to compete for cannabis store licenses since private storefronts so far are "an utter disaster". He says it has been over a year now and the system is still inefficient, and that an LCBO cannabis store would operate much more smoothly. The Ford government implemented a privatized cannabis sector instead of moving forward with the previous government's plan to sell pot through a public system.

"It's time to let the LCBO do what it does best: sell a controlled substance in a responsible way that ensures maximum revenue for our vital public services," said Warren Thomas, the Union's President. The OPSEU represents LCBO workers as well as 155,000 unionized workers across Ontario.

There are currently only 25 legal cannabis stores open in Ontario. It should be around 80 by now, according to the previous Liberal Party Plan. The Ontario Cannabis Lottery just approved 42 storefronts to apply for licenses, and the deadline to apply is today, Aug. 28. The opening dates are set to be no later than October, which is in just a few months, leaving little time for hopeful storefronts to get their stuff together successfully.

"Failure isn't a strong enough word for Mr. Ford's privatization scheme – it's an utter disaster," said OPSEU First Vice-President / Treasurer Eddy Almeida. 

Yahoo Finance reported that a spokesperson for the Ontario Attorney General said in an email that they “firmly believe that government should not be in the cannabis retail business, particularly at a time when we are focused on lifting the province out overwhelming debt left behind after 15 years of the Liberal’s reckless spending and mismanagement.”