An Economist Says Canada's Booze Ban Was an Own Goal

Shane Hewitt and The Nightshift · Aug 15, 2026 · 9m

Canada's booze ban was supposed to be leverage in the trade war with the United States. Economist Moshe Lander explains why it may have done the opposite, and why Canadians drinking Oregon whites and Californian reds were never really the intended target.

Moshe connects the ban to the small vineyards actually absorbing the cost, most of them in states that vote against the policies Canadians are angry about. He also weighs whether dropping the ban now would cost Canada anything real, or whether the leverage was already gone.

The episode ends with Shane and Moshe's pitch for a different kind…