Treating cannabis as a legal but shameful substance recalls, ironically, the bad old days of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario. The Shinybud Cannabis Co. in Smiths Falls, Ont. on Feb 14, 2023.Fred Lum/the Globe and Mail

A much-quoted line from the television sitcom The Simpsons has the minister’s wife exclaiming during a town debate about Prohibition, “won’t somebody please think of the children?”

The plea is, on the face of it, impossible to argue against. But it’s such an overwrought concern – really more of an attempt to take the wind out of countering arguments – that it’s entered pop culture as a way to accuse someone of clutching their pearls.

Which brings us to Canada’s laws around the display of cannabis. According to the government, the product is safe enough to sell legally but so unsafe – think of the children – that it cannot be seen in the store by minors.

The laws around cannabis display would be illogical, though at least consistently so, if they were on par with those for alcohol or gambling. But they are........

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