Ontarians appear to be high on the sale of recreational marijuana being restricted to a provincial government monopoly, a new poll suggests.Campaign Research found 51 per cent of those surveyed back Premier Kathleen Wynne’s new plan to have cannabis sold solely through standalone LCBO-operated stores and a website.“Media and the punditocracy … are suggesting that it’s inefficient and it’s bureaucratic and the antithesis of what most people wanted when, in actuality, the government is doing exactly what Ontarians want,” said Eli Yufest, CEO of Campaign Research.“The government appears to be on the right side of the issue,” Yufest said Thursday.About a third – 35 per cent – of those polled oppose the idea and 14 per cent had no opinion.The online poll of a panel of 1,133 Ontario voters was conducted between last Friday — the day the weed retail scheme was unveiled — and Monday. It is considered accurate to within 2.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.Asked specifically where recreational marijuana should be sold after the federal government legalizes it next July 1, respondents were divided.A quarter — 24 per cent — said the “Cannabis Control Board of Ontario,” 10 per cent said existing LCBO liquor stores, 16 per cent said pharmacies, 19 per cent said “dispensaries,” which are currently operating illegally, while 2 per cent said convenience stores, 1 per cent said other shops, 6 per cent didn’t know, and 23 per cent oppose any sale of marijuana.Yufest said Wynne’s decision to limit pot to 40 LCBO-operated stores next year — rising to 150 by 2019 — appears to be contributing to her party’s slight bounce in the polls.“The minimum wage and pharmacare and all of the other stuff that the government has been rolling out over the last few months … coupled with this is what’s driving both ...
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