Fiscal publication · Updated 29 May 2026
Tax leakage is a harm-reduction metric
Harm reduction needs measurement. If Alberta only measures whether restrictions exist, it may miss whether adults and sellers move into a less visible market.
Tax-paid sales
Track whether legal sales and tax-paid volume move after a rule change.
Complaints
Track complaint categories for legal retail, online vendors, youth access, and unlicensed sellers separately.
Enforcement load
Track how much public enforcement capacity is spent chasing channels outside the normal retail system.
The conclusion
A shrinking legal channel is not automatically a harm-reduction win. It is a win only if youth access falls, adult displacement is understood, tax leakage is controlled, and unlawful supply is actually reduced.