The article to which I've linked at the very end of this post was a good read, if only for the brief mentions of Bruno Pisani and Diego Serrano. Pisani is described as an associate of Vito Rizzuto -- that's true, but the 78-year-old Pisani has been around the block so many times that he has been an associate of several Canadian organized-crime groups over a criminal career spanning many decades. (And you might recall seeing his name in the image found at https://twitter.com/jdsnowdy/status/929405729295011840 -- I previously posted the link to this image.)

Link:

https://www.pressreader.com/canada/the-globe-and-mail-metro-ontario-edition/20171201/281814284187049

Very interesting.....Thanks for sharing.

We will see more violence in the transition to legal marijuana, but eventually it's worth it.

Can you elaborate more as to why it is worth it. I know Holland has been legalizing drugs for years and I just want your perspective on this matter. Governments that legalize mention the profits that is made but they do not dwell on how it affects healthcare & costs, crime,deterioration of society in general, how it affects younger generations. I am not picking sides, I just want to be more informed.

Weed and hashish still fall under the Opium Law in Holland, so it's not legal YET. The only difference is they permit the coffeeshops to sell soft drugs. Growing is still illegal, so the weed farmers are seen as criminals and could still face jail time. The authorities only recently started with a plan to regulate the trade to the coffeeshops.

Despite the image we have cannabis use here is not higher than in other countries. That is not a good reason to ban it.

I don't know if they should completely legalize it, but I think it should be decriminalized. A lot of young people get into fairly serious trouble because they just happen to be with other kids in possession of it. (unless their parents have money for a good lawyer) It is so common I don't know how they could avoid everyone who uses it. I am in my 40s now, in my teens and 20s even into my early 30s (I always looked younger than I am) I don't know how many times I was pulled over by police who said I didn't use a turn signal or said I was swerving then wanted to search the vehicle.(Apparently looking for marijuana) It's kind of like Prohibition at this point, so many people are using it, it's become kind of socially acceptable, but yet it's still illegal.

I agree here we are allowed to have less than 5 grams just for personal use.

https://globalnews.ca/news/3894844/marijuana-legalization-black-market/

Legalization of marijuana unlikely to kill Canada’s black market right away

The Trudeau government believes that it will take at least four years to be able to dislodge major organized crime actors from the illegal cannabis market once the drug is legalized in Canada.

Trudeau: Canada to legalise marijuana on Oct 17 !

hollander i guess now it's a great chance for you to visit canada lol

A lot of the north american growers get the expertise from Holland.

Licensed cannabis growers have ties to organized crime, Enquête investigation finds

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/mont...-enquete-investigation-1.4887997?cmp=rss

Don't forget the export of cannabis to the U.S.

Viewers in the Greater Toronto Area and other parts of Ontario can view the French-language Enquête TV program tonight at 9:00 pm EST on Rogers Cable channel 12, Bell TV channel 99, and Shaw Direct channel 707. Viewers in Montreal and other parts of Quebec will most likely be able to view the program on virtual channel 2 (UHF digital channel 19) and Vidéotron channel 2 (channel 4 in standard definition). American viewers who can access Charter Plattsburgh channel 5 (New York state) and Comcast Burlington channel 22 (Vermont) should also be able to view. Check your local cable listings.

Where can you buy the stuff and do they sell to foreigners?

Canadian Officials Not Concerned About Organized Crime in Legal Cannabis

https://hightimes.com/news/canadian-officials-not-concerned-about-organized-crime-legal-cannabis/

Canadian Govt: No Mafia in Legal Cannabis Trade

https://www.occrp.org/en/27-ccwatch...an-govt-no-mafia-in-legal-cannabis-trade