Around a year ago, it was announced that the Canadian government planned to legalize cannabis in Canada. Last week, the Canadian government, under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, unveiled its plans to do so.
The Cannabis Act is an act that was introduced to Canadian Parliament in 2017 that would legalize cannabis in Canada. It is a milestone in the legal history of cannabis in Canada, alongside the 1923 prohibition.
Should the Cannabis Act pass in Canadian Parliament, this country would become the second nation in the world, after Uruguay, to regulate a legal marijuana market. While this feels like a long time coming, as it was one of Trudeau’s biggest endorsements while he was campaigning for office, it is definitely exciting to see it begin to come to fruition.
According to CNN
The legislation “seeks to legalize, strictly regulate and restrict access to cannabis, and it will make Canada safer,” said Bill Blair, parliamentary secretary to the minister of justice.
There are several items of interest under the Cannabis Act, but some of the most outstanding and general items include
- The government in Canada would be the authority on regulation and would create a system to regulate marijuana production, distribution and sales and would collect licensing fees and taxes from sales
- Producing or distributing marijuana outside the government regulation would be considered serious offenses by the government
- Adults (ages 21 and up) would be able to have up to 30 grams of legal marijuana in public and can also purchase marijuana from licensed retail outlets
- Adults will be permitted to grow up to four marijuana plants per household
- New legal offenses would be added that would prohibit people from driving while they’re impaired by marijuana and other drugs; law enforcement is expected to use saliva tests for checking drivers
- Marijuana cannot be brought over the border under any circumstance; this law is specific to the country of Canada
TWB is looking forward to having our Northern neighbor be one of the countries to pioneer this space in cannabis policy reform and hopes to see the U.S. soon follow in their footsteps.
