The Cannabis Act completed its final step in a 52-29 Senate vote
Canada is to become the second country in the world to fully legalise marijuana, after the senate approved legislation for recreational cannabis to be legally bought and sold within the next two or three months.
“We’ve just witnessed a very historic vote that ends 90 years of prohibition,” senator Tony Dean told reporters on Tuesday after the vote to pass the Cannabis Act.
“It ends 90 years of needless criminalisation, it ends a prohibition model that inhibited and discouraged public health and community health in favour of just-say-no approaches that simply failed young people miserably.”
Trudeau’s Liberal government introduced the legislation last year in a bid to make Canada the second country in the world to legalise cannabis, after Uruguay. Medical marijuana is already legal in Canada.
Trudeau tweeted. “It’s been too easy for our kids to get marijuana – and for criminals to reap the profits,” “Today, we change that.”
Initially, the government planned to begin retail sales by 1 July, but the timeline was delayed as the senate debated the legislation. Canada’s upper chamber voted 52 to 29 on Tuesday to make marijuana fully legal in the country.
Once legalisation goes into effect,Canadians will be able grow up to four plants in their own home and carry up to 30 grams of dried cannabis for personal use. Those caught with more than this amount, or who supply marijuana to minors will face penalties.
On Tuesday, supporters of the legislation stressed the cautious, prudent approach to the landmark change. “What the government’s approach has been is, yes, legalisation but also strict control,” said Peter Harder, the government’s representative in the Senate. “That does not in any way suggest that it’s now party time.”
The historic vote comes with its own set of challenges for the government; it has promised it will now explore the idea of clearing the criminal records of the hundreds of thousands of Canadians with past convictions for simple possession and will have to address the concerns of some Indigenous leaders who said they weren’t adequately consulted on the legislation.
Source – The Guardian
Image – Pixabay
