If you ever needed proof of government incompetence...

...This is a story you can cite to remind yourself what the answer to "Should the government...?" be.

The Ontario government lost $42M selling cannabis in the last year - CBC

Ontario Cannabis Retail Corp. lost $42 million in the latest fiscal year, according to newly released public documents.

The provincial Crown corporation tasked with online sales and wholesale distribution of recreational pot reported revenues of $64 million for the year ended March 31, 2019.

This is insane. How the hell do you LOSE money selling weed?

"If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there'd be a shortage of sand." - Milton Friedman

Looks like Friedman's admonition applies to our neighbor to the north.

a reply to: projectvxn

How the hell do you LOSE money selling weed?

Smokin your own supply.

a reply to: CriticalStinker

Or skimming off the top. Politicians have never been known to do that.

a reply to: projectvxn

Someone must have a side business?

Responding Friday to a request for comment from CBC Toronto, a spokesperson for Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips said initial startup costs were to blame for the financial loss.

a reply to: projectvxn

Because when you have 'your guy' who's basically full time job is to deliver and sell weed at the drop of a text message, compared to waiting for stale overly packaged weed from our bad postal service you can see why.

They really need to make it a better system. But then again this is a province where we could only buy beer and booze in two highly regulated stores, until recently.

a reply to: projectvxn

Is this the same government in charge of their healthcare?

a reply to: DBCowboy

Must be, because our healthcare in Canada is absurdly retarded.

a reply to: projectvxn

This is insane. How the hell do you LOSE money selling weed?

Simple, by putting the gov in charge of it. Anything and everything they ever touch is always eff’d up. They have the track record to prove it.

a reply to: mtnshredder

Of course ... countries just sprout from the ground and run themselves right?

Umm, because it's government. 'nuff said.

Government has no incentives for anything. It's a better motivation killer than the weed it's selling!

Sorry I have to laugh.

How high meets How low.

originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: projectvxn

Is this the same government in charge of their healthcare?

At least they get to smoke in the waiting room.

The top ten people in their agency could be making a lot of bucks. There is no need for skimming when the heads of their agency can determine their own paychecks. They figured they should make as much as big drug dealers I suppose. Plus, they may have great expense accounts, like everyone gets lunch delivered every day and Cavier and crackers are at the snack bar all day long.

a reply to: projectvxn

I think because they also had to put in all of the infrastructure to sell it.

a reply to: Atsbhct

That's what the OP's source says. I love an opportunity to point out how insufficient governments are, but this seems like a reasonable explanation.

a reply to: projectvxn

OMG, thats hilarious. The govt of Ontario must be as fully corrupt as say, New Jersey or New Orleans. They would be better off letting the drug cartels run that program. Of course.....that would mean laying off 50,000 useless government workers.

And literally no private company has ever lost money...

Particularly in their first year of operation.

That is funnier than an instalment of "The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers."

There's so much loose money in the business. A guy did everything legal and got 38 pounds off his 12 plants. That was about 3/4 of what he really got but they have no way to tell how much he really got. $$$$$