Fiscal publication · Updated 29 May 2026
Youth protection needs a tax base that funds enforcement
Youth protection and tax-base protection are not opposites. The same visible channel that lets Alberta collect tax also lets inspectors check age-verification practice and correct bad conduct.
A balanced view
Stronger prevention should focus on the sellers and channels that create the risk. If the legal channel shrinks while illicit supply grows, youth protection can become harder, not easier.
The province should ask whether each new restriction improves enforcement against unlawful sellers or merely places more burden on sellers that were already visible.