People in Canada are cheering, enduring long lines and honking their car horns in support as the country’s first marijuana dispensaries open their doo
People in Canada are cheering, enduring long lines and honking their car horns in support as the country’s first marijuana dispensaries open their doors. Canada is the second country in the world and the first G7 nation to implement legislation permitting a nationwide marijuana market. The measure legalizing the recreational use of the drug passed the Senate in June. The Canadian legislation, known as the Cannabis Act, stems from a campaign pledge of Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau to keep marijuana away from underage users and curb marijuana-related crime.
Hundreds are now legally buying recreational marijuana all over Canada, but not without adjusting to a few rules.
- Only adults will be allowed to buy, use, possess and grow recreational marijuana. In Quebec and Alberta, the legal age is 18 while it’s 19 in the rest of the country.
- The supply of could be limited, at least early on, in some stores. Marijuana will not be sold in the same location as alcohol or tobacco.
- Consumers are expected to purchase the drug from retailers regulated by provinces and territories or from federally licensed producers when those options are not available.
- Whether you are entering or leaving Canada, you cannot have weed on you as you could face criminal charges. You can’t also travel across international borders with it, even to places it has been legalized.
- The production, distribution or sale of cannabis products will still be an offense for minors.
Authorities also plan to announce plans to pardon Canadians who have been convicted of possession of 30 grams or less of marijuana. Canada’s government also made changes to impaired driving laws to address repercussions for driving under the influence of cannabis. But some health care professionals in Canada have said they are afraid of the consequences of legalizing marijuana.
Legalizing cannabis is expected to create an industry worth more than $4 billion in Canada. Besides Canada, Uruguay was the first country to legalize the production, sale and consumption of marijuana in December 2013. Nine states in the United States and the District of Columbia now allow recreational marijuana use. Medical marijuana is legal in some form in 30 states.The pot industry took in nearly $9 billion in sales in 2017 in the United States, according to BDS Analytics. The revenue from those sales is equivalent to the entire snack bar industry.
CNN
