The Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced new legislation Thursday that would make Canada the first G7 nation to legalise the sale and cultivation of small amounts of marijuana for recreational use.
Attempting to grow, procure, or use marijuana outside the legal framework will be a serious punishable offence, the government said. Voters in California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada voted a year ago to approve recreational use, joining Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington.
If the Cannabis Act passes Parliament, Canada would become the second nation in the world, after Uruguay, to regulate a legal marijuana market. People will also be permitted to grow up to four plants at home. The legislation included a stipulation that those under the age of 18 found with up to five grams of marijuana will not face criminal charges.
"We want to make it more hard for kids to access marijuana".
The government will allow the citizens to carry up to 30 grams of dried cannabis for personal use.
Ottawa will regulate production, including licensing producers and ensuring the safety of the country's marijuana supply, and the Canadian provinces will decide how the drug will be distributed and sold. A roadside saliva test would help determine impairment and could prompt a further blood test.
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While no information is yet available on how marijuana will be priced or taxed, these details are expected to be announced by the country's finance minister in the coming months.
The Canadian government closely followed the advice of a marijuana task force headed by former Liberal Health Minister Anne McLellan.
Canada has been in "very close touch" with the USA on the issue, said Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, but he had little to say about Canadians who might fear trouble from American border guards when travelling south. "Police forces spend between $2bn and $3bn every year trying to deal with cannabis, and yet Canadian teenagers are among the heaviest users in the western world. We simply have to do better". Canadian officials were apparently in close touch with their American counterparts as they drafted the proposed law. Canada, he added, would also "make the very strong point" that its new legal regime would be better at protecting children and keeping illegal cash away from organized crime.
"I want to highlight", Goodale said, "that under the proposed act, it will remain illegal to import into Canada or export from Canada, cannabis and cannabis products- unless exceptionally authorized by Health Canada".
But Christina Grant, a professor of pediatrics at McMaster University in Ontario, worries the government is conveying the message that marijuana is not harmful.
"One in seven youths who have used cannabis will develop an addiction to cannabis and that impacts your life, schooling, job prospects, social and emotional relationships", she said. "Pharmacists have the necessary expertise to mitigate the potential risks associated with using medical cannabis, including harmful drug interactions, contraindications and potential addictive behavior".
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