Being illegal 鈥� for now 鈥� makes it hard to pin down just how big the market for marijuana is, but one estimate suggests it鈥檚 at least as large as hard liquor sales, about $5 billion annually.

The report, from financial services firm Deloitte, estimates the market for legalized recreational marijuana could give Canada鈥檚 economy a $22.6 billion annual boost when you include growers, equipment suppliers and the like.

With that much of an economic boost at stake, it鈥檚 a little hard to understand the fear-mongering coming from many levels of society as the date for the promised legalization approaches.

Especially since marijuana is already a big, if underground, part of our daily lives anyway. In a recent column, Dan Albas, Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola MP listed off a number of these fear factors, adding that 鈥渁t this point, there are no answers to any of these concerns.鈥�

That鈥檚 not really the case. For example, in the case of youth lighting up, well, they already do, just as they also manage to get their hands on alcohol and cigarettes, also no-nos for the underage crowd. Legalizing marijuana and taking it out of the hands of street dealers isn鈥檛 going to make it easier for youth to get pot; it鈥檚 likely going to have the opposite effect.

Higher policing costs? Why would that happen if cops need to spend less of their time hunting down illegal grow-ops? Getting stoned at work? About as likely as bringing a case of beer to work; if your employees aren鈥檛 already doing it, chances are that won鈥檛 change in 2018.

Legalizing pot doesn鈥檛 mean it鈥檚 suddenly going to be a free-for-all of people lighting up every chance they get and marijuana available everywhere you turn. Like alcohol, it is going to be regulated.

What legalization does do is bring an existing economy into the light of day. It will generate tax income for governments and - presumably - take the profits out of the hands of criminals.鈥揃lack Press