Although recreational marijuana use has been legalised in some U.S. states, including Colorado and Washington, the legislation puts Canada on track to be the first Group of Seven country to legalise it nationally.
Canada will become the first large industrialized nation with a broad system permitting recreational as well as medical use of marijuana. Voters in California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada voted previous year to approve recreational use, joining Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington. A household may grow up to four marijuana plants, but the primary supply will be through commercial growers, closely regulated by the authorities.
Thursday's legislation included a stipulation that those under the age of 18 found with up to five grams of marijuana will not face criminal charges.
Its legalization and regulation would follow in 2018, in time for Canada's national day on July 1.
"I think the proposal for the age of 18, or 19 in some provinces, to align with the [legal drinking age] across the country, is a reasonable compromise", Mr Trudeau said last December. First, the bill needs to pass through Parliament, and then each of Canada's 10 provinces will have to decide how the drug will be sold in their territories. Marijuana in Canada is mostly consumed by the young people and according to reports, 30% of Canadians aged 20-24 use cannabis.
"We don't really have a way of monitoring or at least of detecting people who are driving on the roads who may be impaired by marijuana", said Gordon Wyant, justice minister of the Canadian province Saskatchewan.
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CEO Vic Neufeld says the legislation introduced today is a good beginning, but leaves a lot of blanks to be filled, like more explanation as to allowed marketing and related practices. Health Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canada Border Services Agency and the Department of Public Safety would be responsible for enforcing the regulations.
Criminals on the black market are the ones profiting from the current system, to the tune of anywhere from $7 billion to $8 billion a year, Goodale said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said making the drug legal in small quantities, or recreational marijuana, and selling it through provincially approved retail outlets would help keep marijuana out of the hands of minors and stop organized crime from profiting for its sale.
Goodale said they've been close touch with the USA government on the proposed law and noted exporting and importing marijuana will continue to be illegal. '... those laws must continue to be respected and upheld right across the country. "This will make it very hard for Canadian entrepreneurs to get involved in this industry".
In anticipation of the legislative move, there has reportedly been a rush on licenses to produce medical marijuana, pot stocks have shot up, and dispensaries have opened in cities across the country vying for market share in what promises to be a lucrative business. Health Minister Jane Philpott announces changes regarding the legalization of marijuana during a news conference in Ottawa, Thursday, April 13, 2017.
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