Canada Will Become The First G7 Country To Legalize Marijuana
Canada is on track to become the first G7 nation to fully legalize marijuana by Friday, keeping a promise Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made in 2015 during his campaign. The G7 nations include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US, and Ottawa’s House of Commons voted 205:82 back to senate on Monday after accepting 33 of the 46 amendments made.
Senator Peter Harder urged his colleagues to pass Bill C-45, known as the Cannabis Act, without any additional changes. “If we concur with the House of Commons, I think we will find most Canadians pleased with the manner in which we’ve discharged our constitutional role,” Harder said in a statement. While the specifics of the Bill are still being debated, it is expected to pass before the end of the Prime Minister’s term on Friday.
Canadian politician Bill Blair told reporters that as long as the Bill passes this week, the Canadian government will aim to finalize the changes by September – “We’re probably looking at a date of implementation somewhere towards the beginning of September, perhaps mid-September,” Blair said.
While recreational marijuana is legal in nine US states, and legal for medical use in 29, it remains illegal under US federal law. As it isn’t legalized throughout the US, Canada will be the first G7 country to fully legalize recreational marijuana – which was legalized in Uruguay in 2013.
The market for medical marijuana in Canada is expected to be worth more than $4.5 billion, with taxes on legal cannabis expected to generate $300 million in revenue. Various countries around the world are watching Canada closely regarding the legalization of marijuana, and may hopefully learn a thing or two on how to properly legalize the drug. In May, Prime Minister Trudeau said “there is a lot of interest from our allies in what we’re doing. They recognize that Canada is being daring … and recognize that the current regime [of prohibition] does not work.“
