Canada was on track to legalize recreational marijuana by July 2018 after the government put forward legislation on Thursday that will see it regulate production but left the details of how the drug will be sold up to the provinces.Recreational marijuana has been legalized in some USA states, including Colorado and Washington, but Canada would be the first Group of Seven country to do so nationally.
It noted that in the handful of USA states where recreational marijuana use is legal, the minimum age was set at 21, in line with alcohol consumption.
"We also recognize the importance of price in order to compete effectively", added lawmaker Bill Blair, a former police chief who served as Trudeau's marijuana point-person.
"We have legalized marijuana".
The federal government has also propositioned a change to the Criminal Code to punish those who attempt to provide youth under the age of 18 with marijuana, or sell it outside of the new legal regulations.
In particular, Canadians who are 18 years old and over would legally be allowed to possess up to 30 grams of legal cannabis in public.
They would also be permitted to grow up to four plants per resident for personal use, as well as make legal cannabis-containing products at home.
The current legal prohibitions have been an "abject failure" at keeping the children from getting a hold of marijuana, says Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale. A new framework will be introduced to regulate the production, sale, distribution and possession of marijuana.
In the wake of the federal Liberals' decision to move forward with the legalization of marijuana, some are already giving their opinions on the legislation.
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The bills are sure to come under heavy scrutiny in the coming weeks and months as Ottawa and the provinces and territories hash out the finer jurisdictional details of major issues like distribution and law enforcement.
"Especially if people start widely using cannabis because we know THC remains in our system for a long time afterward".
The government says it intends to bring other products, including pot-infused edibles, into the legalized sphere once federal regulations for production and sale are developed and brought into force. "This must be an orderly transition".
It makes Canada "the largest federal jurisdiction in the world to legalize cannabis consumption", according to The Toronto Star.
The ability of Canadian travelers to cross the U.S. border could also come into question - American border guards may deny entry to Canadians who admit they have smoked marijuana in the past.
Canada's proposed legislation follows success at USA ballot boxes past year in several states, including recreational marijuana laws in Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, and California. Each country sets its own rules, said Goodale, but he suggested Canada might get on the phone if it became a big deal.
Rob Pederson, a Realtor from Saskatchewan with the travel-advice company Canada to Arizona, said he believes the proposed laws could help his country and redirect drug profits into legal avenues.
For 150 years, only the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) has united the broad expertise of the medical community for the benefit and well-being of all Canadians.
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