Canada legalizes marijuana, sales to begin on October 17

**jct74** · 06-19-2018, 09:57 PM

Canada’s Marijuana Legalization Bill Gets Final Approval From Lawmakers

By Kyle Jaeger
June 19, 2018

After about seven months of legislative debate, Canadian lawmakers approved a bill to fully legalize marijuana nationwide on Tuesday.

Though the bill must still receive “royal assent” from the Governor General before the law is officially sanctioned, that step is generally viewed as a formality. At that point, Canada will become the first G7 nation to legalize recreational cannabis.

The decision in the Senate, which voted 52-29, with two abstentions, to approve the Cannabis Act, comes a week after the House of Commons approved 25 of the Senate’s amendments and rejected 13 others. About two weeks ago, the Senate gave initial approved the amended bill 56-30.

...

It will still take a few months before Canada implements a retail cannabis sales system. Liberal MP Bill Blair, the Canadian government’s point person on parliamentary cannabis legalization efforts, estimated that, pending royal assent, marijuana will be fully legalized and available for purchase in September.

...

read more:
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/cana...rom-lawmakers/

**jct74** · 06-21-2018, 01:07 AM

date has been set

Here’s When Canada’s Legal Marijuana Sales Will Begin

By Kyle Jaeger
June 20, 2018

Marijuana will officially be legal in Canada on October 17, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in a speech before the House of Commons on Wednesday.

The announcement comes one day after the Senate passed the government’s legalization bill, C-45, in a 52-29 vote, with two abstentions. After about a year of studies and debate over the legislation, the Senate ultimately accepted the amended bill, which was previously approved by the House of Commons, 205-82, on Monday.

The passage represents the fulfillment of a major campaign promise from the Liberal prime minister. Trudeau has argued that the establishment of a regulated cannabis system would prevent underaged youth from accessing marijuana and also deprive criminal organizations of profits from black market sales.

The prime minister confirmed the October 17 date to establish the country’s recreational marijuana system, citing the need to provide provinces with sufficient time to develop their own regulatory programs. He also fielded questions about the implications of the home grow provision, the prospect of pardoning former marijuana offenders, and the supply side of the country’s legal marijuana industry.

...

read more:
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/here...es-will-begin/