Marijuana will officially be legal in Canada on October 17, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in a speech before the House of Commons on Wednesday.
The announcement comes one day after the Senate passed the government’s legalization bill, C-45, in a 52-29 vote, with two abstentions. After about a year of studies and debate over the legislation, the Senate ultimately accepted the amended bill, which was previously approved by the House of Commons, 205-82, on Monday.
The passage represents the fulfillment of a major campaign promise from the Liberal prime minister. Trudeau has argued that the establishment of a regulated cannabis system would prevent underaged youth from accessing marijuana and also deprive criminal organizations of profits from black market sales.
Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould cautioned Canadians to refrain from indulging in cannabis use until the law is officially implemented at a press conference on Wednesday, The Times Colonist reported.
It’s been a long, winding road to legalization in Canada, which is set to become the first G7 nation to fully legalize marijuana. The first reading of the bill in the House of Common took place more than a year ago, in April 2017. It’s since gone through rigorous debate, with multiple committees submitting reports that offered recommendations and outlined concerns about the legislation.
One of those issues concerned international travel for Canadians who use cannabis. Conservative lawmakers said that Canadians who admitted to consuming marijuana would be at risk of being permanently barred from entering the United States, where marijuana is federally illegal. The Canadian government issued guidelines emphasizing that traveling across international borders with cannabis will remain illegal under the new law.
More recently, the Senate proposed 46 amendments to the bill—including one that would allow individual provinces to ban home cultivation. The House rejected that proposal and 12 other amendments, sending it back to the Senate for a final, decisive vote. Numerous Conservative senators voiced opposition to the bill—and Conservative Sen. Claude Carignan offered up an amendment to include the home grow provision only to be shut down in a 35-45 vote, with one abstention.
The Cannabis Act legalizes the possession, use, cultivation and sale of marijuana for adults 18 and older. Individuals will be allowed to possess up to 30 grams of cannabis and grow up to four plants.
The bill also outlines criminal penalties for illegal distribution and sales of cannabis, crossing international borders with cannabis and possession over the legal limit.
The announcement comes one day after the Senate passed the government’s legalization bill, C-45, in a 52-29 vote, with two abstentions. After about a year of studies and debate over the legislation, the Senate ultimately accepted the amended bill, which was previously approved by the House of Commons, 205-82, on Monday.
The passage represents the fulfillment of a major campaign promise from the Liberal prime minister. Trudeau has argued that the establishment of a regulated cannabis system would prevent underaged youth from accessing marijuana and also deprive criminal organizations of profits from black market sales.
Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould cautioned Canadians to refrain from indulging in cannabis use until the law is officially implemented at a press conference on Wednesday, The Times Colonist reported.
It’s been a long, winding road to legalization in Canada, which is set to become the first G7 nation to fully legalize marijuana. The first reading of the bill in the House of Common took place more than a year ago, in April 2017. It’s since gone through rigorous debate, with multiple committees submitting reports that offered recommendations and outlined concerns about the legislation.
One of those issues concerned international travel for Canadians who use cannabis. Conservative lawmakers said that Canadians who admitted to consuming marijuana would be at risk of being permanently barred from entering the United States, where marijuana is federally illegal. The Canadian government issued guidelines emphasizing that traveling across international borders with cannabis will remain illegal under the new law.
More recently, the Senate proposed 46 amendments to the bill—including one that would allow individual provinces to ban home cultivation. The House rejected that proposal and 12 other amendments, sending it back to the Senate for a final, decisive vote. Numerous Conservative senators voiced opposition to the bill—and Conservative Sen. Claude Carignan offered up an amendment to include the home grow provision only to be shut down in a 35-45 vote, with one abstention.
The Cannabis Act legalizes the possession, use, cultivation and sale of marijuana for adults 18 and older. Individuals will be allowed to possess up to 30 grams of cannabis and grow up to four plants.
The bill also outlines criminal penalties for illegal distribution and sales of cannabis, crossing international borders with cannabis and possession over the legal limit.
