Recreational marijuana use will soon be legal in Canada after the Senate passed a “historic” bill on Tuesday 6/19/18 with a vote of 52-29.
Canada is the second country in the world to implement legislation to permit a nationwide marijuana market.
Uruguay was the first country to legalize marijuana’s production, sale and consumption in December 2013. Read the law and regulation-if you can here
In the neighboring US, nine states and the District of Columbia now allow for recreational marijuana use, and 30 allow for medical use.
The act to legalize the recreational use of marijuana was introduced on April 13, 2017, and was later passed at the House of Commons in November. The Senate passage of the bill was the final hurdle in the process.
Bill C-45, AKA…The Cannabis Act, stems from a campaign pledge of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to keep marijuana away from underage users and reduce related crime.
Although the Canadian government had initially stated its intent to implement by July 2018, provinces and territories and who would be responsible for drafting their own rules for marijuana sales. They have advised that they would need eight to 12 weeks after the Senate approval to transition to the new framework.
The government is expected to choose a date in early or mid September.
