The country's Liberal government on Thursday followed through on a 2015 campaign promise by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and introduced legislation aimed at regulating the sale and production of marijuana. The bundle of bills tabled Thursday in the House of Commons mark the start of a lengthy process which the government hopes to have completed by July 2018.
The bill's backers framed it as an effort to reduce adolescent drug use and take profits out of the black market.
"This is a very important day, I've spent most of my adult life keeping children and communities safe", said MP Bill Blair during a press conference shortly after the legislation was presented to Parliament.
"Given the uncertainty in Washington, this is not the time to be. trying to carve off new turf and expand markets and make dramatic statements about marijuana", Hickenlooper told The Denver Post last month.
According to government statistics, as many as 4.6 million Canadians will consume an estimated total 655 metric tons of cannabis annually by 2018, spending an estimated Can$4.2 billion to Can$6.2 billion (USD $3.15-4.65 billion) each year.
Colorado's measure, which would have allowed users to bring their own pot to clubs, initially had substantial bipartisan support.
Initially, only fresh and dried cannabis, cannabis oils, seeds and plants would be licensed for sale, but adults could grow up to four plants and make edibles at home for their personal use. Each province can set higher limits if they wish.
"We are pleased to see that the new legislation proposed today has a strong emphasis on harm reduction, consistent with recommendations put forward by CNA during the task force's consultation on the legalization, regulation and restriction of access to marijuana".
Canada's publicly-traded marijuana stocks have been on fire since the government announced it was going to introduce the legislation a year ago with Canopy Growth Corp - the first marijuana company to reach a $1 billion valuation - and shares rising 300 per cent and Aurora shares up 500 per cent.
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Overbooking is legal, and most airlines do it in anticipation of no-shows, the US Department of Transportation said. One of Dao's five children, Crystal Pepper, said the family was "horrified, shocked and sickened" by what happened.
The Task Force expects the majority of Canadians will most likely purchase marijuana products supplied by commercial growers and dispensaries, all of which require approved licenses and will be heavily monitored by the federal government.
"Under the Government's proposed legislation, new offenses would be added to the Criminal Code to enforce a zero tolerance approach for those driving under the influence of cannabis and other drugs".
If it passes, the country will be the largest developed nation to end marijuana prohibition. And many in the medical field are concerned about the long-term health effects of increased use of marijuana by Canadians under 25. However, crossing the border into the United States, where marijuana has only been legalized in eight states, including California and the District of Columbia, could prove challenging for Canadian pot smokers.
Marijuana legalization has been a topic of conversation for some time in Canada, but as it inches closer to becoming a reality, one group is voicing their concerns.
Others worry that legalisation will put Canada on a collision path with Donald Trump's administration south of the border.
"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. For one thing, Health Canada needs to be sure the supply is there when the drug becomes legal, which means licensing more producers as soon as possible.
The bill has its skeptics.
Ontario's attorney general is seeking a forfeiture order that would allow them to confiscate nearly 600,000 Canadian dollars (S$629,223) in cash that was seized at the Toronto airport from an employee of a chain of seven illegal medical marijuana outlets in the city.
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