Breaking news out of Canada— our Northern neighbors have officially made recreational marijuana legal for its citizens to purchase. This comes years after proposed measures have gotten struck down, but now, it seems that weed is now going to be a legal mainstay in the Great White North.
Believe it or not, Canada is just the second country in the world to legalize weed on a federal level–the first-ever was the South American country of Uruguay, which allowed citizens to purchase the plant for recreational use way back in 2014. Fun fact: ever since they voted the law in, crime has apparently “plummeted.”
But back to Canada; the decision came in on June 19th. after the Senate passed a bill with a vote of 52-29. Clearly, Canada’s most prominent lawmakers were behind the new bill, called Bill C-45, or the Cannabis Act,– and for good reason, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the promise to the Canadian people that it would get voted in back when he was on the campaign trail.
After the historic bill was passed, Trudeau took to Twitter to tell Canadians more about why he has been, and continues to be, so supportive of legalized marijuana. He wrote:
It’s been too easy for our kids to get marijuana–and criminals to reap the profits. Today, we change that. Our plan to legalize and regulate marijuana just passed the Senate. #PromiseKept
So, you may be wondering how exactly selling legal weed could keep a nation’s kiddos away from it in the first place. We, too, were initially intrigued by the concept, but once we looked a bit further into the intricacies of the Cannabis Act, Trudeau’s mission became more and more apparent.
Here are some of the details that show more about how it will be regulated to protect minors and Canadian citizens alike:
- Recreational marijuana can only be sold to individuals over the age of 18 (which is the legal drinking age in most provinces)
- Adults cannot carry more than 30 grams of marijuana on their person, a law that discourages trafficking and/or illegal distribution
- Marijuana must be sold in dedicated, federally-approved retailers that do not sell alcohol or tobacco products
- Adults cannot cultivate more than 4 plants at a time
- The Canadian government is in the process of reworking its impaired driving laws to ensure the marijuana is correctly represented alongside alcohol and other controlled substances
Although only time will tell if the sale of legal marijuana will bring about more minors using the drug, it’s clear that the Canadian government is doing its due diligence to set the right system in place before it can be purchased in the fall.
It’s also important to note that these recreational sales are expected to drive up business in Canada to the tune of billions. Of course, this means more tax money that can be reinvested both on federal and provincial levels.
To learn even more about Trudeau’s victorious Cannabis Act, be sure to watch the video below. Fascinating stuff!
What are your thoughts on legal weed? Do you agree with it? Do you ever think the U.S. will follow suit?
Sources: CNN