Canada will legalize marihuana consumption
On Thursday, the Canadian government under Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled its plans to legalize recreational marijuana.
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau endorsed marijuana
legalization during his campaign.
If the Cannabis Act passes Parliament, Canada would
become the second nation in the world, after Uruguay, to regulate a legalmarijuana market.
The government's new policy had been expected for
some time as Trudeau had endorsed legalizing marijuana on the campaign trail.
"It's too easy for our kids to get marijuana.
We're going to change that," according to a tweet from his official
account.
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, on
Thursday.
Here are five things to know about Canada's
proposed marijuana policy, which officials hope to have in place by July 2018.
The Canadian government would create a system to
regulate marijuana production, distribution and sale. It would also collect
licensing fees and taxes on marijuana sales, which officials say takes profits
away from criminals and organized crime.
"Criminals pocket between $7 and $8 billion in
illicit proceeds. We simply have to do better," said Ralph Goodale,
Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.
Producing or distributing marijuana outside the
government regulation would be considered serious offenses, officials said.
The federal government will provide minimum
conditions, but the provinces could set more rules about distribution and sale
on top of those.
But many issues remain for government officials to
figure out, including how much to charge for marijuana, reported CNN's partner
CBC.
2. Adults can have marijuana and grow them too
Adults would be able to have up to 30 grams of
legal marijuana in public and be permitted to grow up to four plants per
household.
Under the Cannabis Act, Canadians would be able to
buy marijuana at legal retail outlets or receive them through a licensed
producer in the mail.
However, marijuana will remain illegal until the
new law is approved and goes into effect.
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