British Columbia's dope growers feel the sting of a weak US$

One industry that is allegedly taking a haircut on the US$/C$ exchange rate is the marijuana growers in BC.

Dealbreaker: The Bernanke Dollar’s Latest Victim: The Kind Northern Bud Trade

So we found ourselves disturbed this morning to learn that the dissolution of the dollar’s value was destroying one of our Northern neighbors export markets—namely, the market in exporting marijuana to eager tokers the United States. The trade flourished for years as black marketeers pocketed the profit from arbitraging the dollar against loonie. Canadian marijuana production costs were paid in Canadian dollars, while profits were taken in dollars.
As the dollar has deteriorated against the loonie, the trade has dried up. Canadian production costs have held steady, while the buying power of the dollar has declined. And, lest you think we’re talking about a small thing, we remind you that the production and export of marijuana is a major contributor to the economy of British Columbia.
“The upshot is that the Canadian marijuana is now less competitive against marijuana grown elsewhere,” Stephen Easton, professor of economics at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, B.C. has told the grand newspaper of Big Sky territory, the Missoulian. “This is a cost-driven business. With exports no longer viable, the British Columbia marijuana industry has certainly taken a hit, so to speak.”

Doubtless there will be those who call for an aid package from the Federal Government to bail out struggling Grow Op outfits.

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