Thank you, Mr. Chair. This has come up many times, and I have spoken to it many times. The comment from the communities that got to me was exactly what Mr. Beaulieu was saying, where someone has issues, they have mental health issues, and they are self-medicating for whatever reason. They managed to get off alcohol, and now they have moved to cannabis. They go in that store, and they see that bottle, and the temptation is too much. That is a big effect on someone. Think about that happening to one person. That is a big effect on someone's life.
Everywhere we went, too, we heard concern for the youth and exposing youth to drugs. Now, if there is a youth, someone 19 to 25 or whatever the age, over 19, who wants to purchase cannabis, now we are exposing them to alcohol, as well, and vice versa.
Those are things that weren't contemplated by this bill. This goes back to our privatization debate. The government really never contemplated any other model than selling through the liquor stores. They are really not prepared for this. We say the market will provide all, but I don't think entrepreneurs are ready for it either because the government hasn't even released their wholesale price, what they are going to be selling cannabis for to these stores.
No one has a business case. No one is raising capital to go get some retail space to sell cannabis out of. If it is not sold in liquor stores, it might just not be sold anywhere in the community. Then we are still supporting drug dealers.
That is one of the reasons why I am disappointed with this bill, as I mentioned earlier. It didn't contemplate any of these situations. It didn't account for any sort of variation from exactly what was in there. I think that, if this motion passes, and I hope it does, that the government can figure something out quickly enough that legal, safe cannabis will be available to those wishing to purchase it and we will keep people away from alcohol, or at least keep people away from that temptation if that is what is needed for that person. I will be supporting this. Thank you, Mr. Chair.