ALBERTA’S PLAN FOR ONLINE CANNABIS MONOPOLY CHALLENGED BY PRIVACY CONCERNS, ILLEGAL COMPETITION
Jason says he’s been rolling up prime cannabis bud ordered effortlessly online for recreational use for months.
Summoning strains with names like Golden Goat delivered reliably to his Calgary door under the radar is something he won’t give up, despite the Alberta government’s plans to monopolize internet-ordered pot once legalization arrives Oct. 17.
To him, it’s about protecting his privacy as much as anything.
“I don’t see any reasons why the government needs to be a repository of my personal information, to know my personal habits,” said Jason, not his real name.
“I just don’t see people lining up to the government to fulfill their needs … I don’t know anyone who would.”
He noted that to purchase alcohol, there’s no requirement to provide the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC) basic personal information that’s needed to qualify for online marijuana purchases on the agency’s website.
“If it’s legal, it’s legal — they don’t do that with booze,” said Jason.
Privacy concerns are only one challenge facing the AGLC as it gears up to begin handling the online sale of cannabis in the province, while curbside business will be the realm of private operators.
Many current online customers, who have easily circumvented often lenient or non-existent medical requirements, say they’re happy with the current product quality, selection, price and access.
They can also purchase items that won’t be available through government suppliers for at least a year — edibles, hashish and even the wafer-like concentrate known as shatter.
And there’s no shortage of click-of-the-mouse suppliers who’ve massively populated the internet in recent years with a dizzying array of pungent choices.
Along with bountiful imagery of its harvested flowers, Canadian-based online cannabis dispensary Cheapweed.ca offers discounts on bulk purchases — “45 per cent off when eight or more ounces are in your cart.”
Among online reviews of its products, it’s difficult to smoke out any medical references, though some are listed by the merchant in describing various strains’ benefits.
Recreationl or Medicinal. Either way you provide us with Quality, Savings and most of all very good advice. Id much prefer myself to do my buisness with an experienced and caring provider over a government based agency. Your #1 and however we need to support you back we will. Thanks. Much Love.