Onions, margarine, weed: Legalization is changing more than our shopping lists

Whales and weed. We've got it all now.

I'm still pinching myself because I was convinced some last-minute bureaucratic red tape would delay the rolling out of cannabis legalization.

But here we are, out in the Atlantic, where we can spin one up and watch the rolling waves.

• First legal weed sold in Canada at Newfoundland shops

Does Newfoundland and Labrador want weed? According to the lineups at Dominion on Day 1 and the empty shelves on Day 2, it sure seems like we're into it.

There will be no more trying to escape Sketchy's front porch without smelling like cat pee while he looks all around the house for his scales.

No more waiting for Leo to call me back to see if Sketchy's in town when himself won't get back to us. No more waiting.No more saving roaches for a rainy day.

Who cares if it rains every day now anyhow?

Why legal weed means big changes

6 years ago

Duration 1:53

Colleen Power's take on the legalization of cannabis product

We can go to Dominionand add weed to the shopping list with our onions and margarine.

We became the first province in Canada to experience legal weed, so it's a pity the government has said it's not likely to be a real money maker.

Last November, at a news conference announcing the government's pot plan, Justice Minister Andrew Parsons didn't seem to be into the federal push toward legalization.

• Available in stores to 19 and up: N.L. government unveils rules for legal pot

"We didn't choose to do this but we need to be ready," he said.

A $40-million sweetener deal with Canopy is the choice, apparently. Turns out the government will miss the mark on production revenue for the first two, perhaps three years with that Canopy arrangement.

Smokeroom on the Kyle, revisited

When Roger Grimes was premier in 2002, he said pot should be legalized, produced in factories and taxed like tobacco to pay for services like health care.

If we could only remix Grimes's 2002 notion with Brian Peckford's 1987 Sprung greenhouse, we'd be laughing.

We've got to lose that "Oh, we don't want this, but we have todo it" attitude. We've got to work with what we have, and what we have right now is legal cannabis.

For Newfoundland and Labrador, the potential for cannabis tourism is tremendous.

Let's line up for the Puffin' Tour! Have a puff and count the puffins.

Cod filleting and joint-rolling workshops over here! Let's get that smokeroom on the Kyle really on the go! The opportunities are endless.

When they figure out the edibles, just think of the possibilities. Draw'n butter. Baked-apple jam.

We've got to start thinking about Newfoundland and Labrador strain names, like Kettle Cove Kush. Hibbs Hole Haze has a nice ring to it. How about some Black Tickle OG? And we must pay tribute to Grandaddy Grimes.

We've even got a place town called Stoneville!

Nice stop for a Puffin' Tour. All aboard!

We're talking serious cash

Colorado, with its population of 5.6 million, has seen yearly revenue from marijuana taxes, licences and fees balloon from $67 million to $200 million since 2014.

When you do the math, with our population of 520,000, no, it's not Hebron, but it is sustainable.

Over time, with the right marketing, we could be the weed capital of the world.

• All your questions about legal recreational cannabis in N.L. answered

If the first few days of cannabis sales are any indication, the provincial government has grossly underestimated the number of cannabis users in the province.

If we want to bring people back home, we need to create jobs in the cannabis industry.

Forget aquaculture deals, with all their potential damage to our oceans and fish. Oil will eventually dry up. Get those Astaldi workers rolling some Muskrat draws.

Weed has the potential to keep growing, and now is the time to stick a cannabis leaf on the province's logo right beside that pitcher plant.

Another pot on the stove

You might like this satirical song from Sean Panting, performed last Friday on The St. John's Morning Show.

Panting Under Pressure: Legal marijuana

6 years ago

Duration 2:06

It was the story of the week: cannabis was made legal in Canada. Here's Sean Panting's take on it.

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