Legalizing cannabis could have been the greatest thing for our economy and environment, writes Mike Kidd.

For more 20 years I have been selling growing products. Peterborough Hydroponic Centre has catered to cannabis growing, inside or out. The large, the small, we have sold products to them all.

We also produce grow trays and reservoirs right here in Peterborough. I am a hometown boy, growing cannabis since I could drive. Growing great cannabis for the last 25 years (I am now 50), I consider myself an expert in the business.

With new “legalization” on the horizon, I am frustrated. Legal for who? I think I am confused with the difference between “illegal” and “regulated.” It wasn’t long ago the Harper government doubled the penalty for growing cannabis to a 14-year max jail sentence, from seven years. That isn’t changing.

I wonder who is the victim in this crime. The tax man? I know, they are breaking the law, but jail time of 14 years seems harsh for growing a plant that others can grow.

I would have hoped that we could legalize some of my customers. Young and old, people who want to grow, people who like to grow; people with a passion for growing.

Good cannabis can be grown in small crops. How about on a farm, where other things grow? I trust a farmer to grow my food, why not cannabis.

The square-foot cost to grow inside, with lighting, is no cheaper in a commercial or industrial space then an agricultural location.

The fact is Canada will have a hard time to be competitive with place like Jamaica or Columbia.

Large, licenced producers will surely import their product and package it in Canada. They may eve have a Canadian symbol, like frozen fruit or honey, along with “Canadian Grade A,” then on the back in small print you read “product of Columbia.”

The Indigenes communities are already selling all forms of cannabis. I praise their initiative as it is so much better then cigarettes, and there is a demand for the products. I send people there way every day. Their products are grown by your neighbours and friends.

They also offer other forms of cannabis other then just smoking choices. That’s what the market demands. Why not have a Cannabis tea, or cookie? Why should I be forced to smoke it?

Cannabis is one of the safest plants in the world. It’s not plutonium, so why are we treating it that way.

Cannabis needs to grow everywhere to drive the price down.

Hemp, or should I say cannabis fibre, should be a major raw material to produce all kinds of biodegradable things. Cannabis has the strongest natural fibre in the world. The regulated hemp is below .3% T.H.C. This is a crazy “regulated” idea. All cannabis naturally will have higher T.H.C., especially when give lots of light, food, and low humidity. The hemp allowed to grow is a joke.

The fact that you can’t grow your own seed is the game stopper. You must by new registered seeds each time.

Legalizing cannabis could be the greatest thing for our economy and environment. We want to make sure we “do it right.” Looks like a few companies getting rich to me. Young people may get a job in a “Marijuana Factory,” but I don’t see the opportunities. Just a job. “Doing it right,” to me, would allow regular people to participate in this new green industry. All forms of cannabis should be produced right here in Canada, by someone who lives here in Canada. How can we buy it for $11 to $20 when I can grow it for under a $1 a gram?

Cannabis is safer then water. If there was a field of cannabis that was high T.H.C., I think it presents less risk then a pond of water. I could drown in the water, but I could wear the cannabis as clothing, walk on it, as flooring and the waste of that industry would power my car as ethanol!

Green up my world.