Canada has become the latest place to legalise cannabis
On Tuesday, the Canadian parliament passed a law allowing the use of cannabis across the country. A vote in the country’s Senate ended 52-29, with The Cannabis Act being passed.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a tweet that the decision would help protect children from the drug, and stop criminals from profiting from it.
It’s been too easy for our kids to get marijuana – and for criminals to reap the profits. Today, we change that. Our plan to legalize & regulate marijuana just passed the Senate. #PromiseKept
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) June 20, 2018
The new law will control the growth, distribution and sale of the drug. A timeframe has yet to be drawn up, but it thought that Canadian may be able to legally purchase the drug by September.
Adults will be able to buy cannabis or cannabis oils from shops and online, and be allowed to possess up to 30 grams of dried cannabis in public. The minimum age to buy and use the drug will be 18, though in some provinces it will be 19.
Each household will be limited to growing no more than four plants. Edibles will not initially be available, but will be within a year of the law coming into force.
Things like how it is sold and where it can be smoked will be decided by individual Provinces, but federal government will be in charge of packaging, health warnings and advertising.
Cannabis has been illegal in Canada since 1923, though medical usage of the drug was legalised in 2001.
Uruguay legalised the sale of cannabis for recreational use in 2013, becoming the first country to do so – Canada is now the second. It is also permitted in several US states.
