Just In: Canada legalises Marijuana
News & Trends •
under the new regulations canadians at least 18 or 19 years old soon to be 21 in quebec will be allowed to buy up to 30 grams of cannabis and grow up to four plants at home1 nearly a century of marijuana prohibition came to an end wednesday as canada became the first major western nation to legalise and regulate its sale and recreational use1 were not legalising cannabis because we think its good for our health. were doing it because we know its not good for our children prime minister justin trudeau said on the eve of the reform1 we know we need to do a better job to protect our children and to eliminate or massively reduce the profits that go to organised crime1 the cannabis act which fulfils a promise trudeau made in the 2015 election campaign makes canada only the second nation after uruguay to legalise the drug1 its implementation will be scrutinised and dissected by canadians ahead of the next election in 2019 as well as other nations that the prime minister has said may follow suit if the measure proves a success1 trudeau himself admitted in 2013 to having smoked pot five or six times in his life including at a dinner party with friends after being elected to parliament1 he has also said that his late brother michel was facing marijuana possession charges for a tiny amount of pot before his death in an avalanche in 1998 and that this influenced his decision to propose legalising cannabis1 but trudeaus office told afp he does not plan on purchasing or consuming cannabis once it is legalised1 in total statistics canada says 5.4 million canadians will buy cannabis from legal dispensaries in 2018 about 15 percent of the population. around 4.9 million already smoke1 stores in st. johns in the atlantic island province of newfoundland were due to open their doors to pot enthusiasts as of 1201 am local time 0231 gmt on wednesday1 im going to have a lot more variety than the black market dealers so you have a lot more choice at our store. the prices are very comparable thomas clarke owner of thc distribution store told public broadcaster cbc just prior to the big event1 the change was praised by pot enthusiasts and investors in a budding industry that has seen pot stocks soar on the toronto and new york stock exchanges but sharply questioned by some health professionals and opposition politicians1 a patchwork of private and public cannabis retail stores and online sales have been set up across the 13 provinces and territories ramping up to 300 storefronts by years end the government predicts1 to meet demand hundreds of growers have been licensed some taking over horticulture and floriculture greenhouses1 this new industry has attracted billions in funding as well as interest from alcohol and soft drink makers such as constellation brands and coca-cola respectively which have expressed an interest in developing cannabis infused drinks1 cannabis sales are forecast to boost economic growth by up to can1.1 billion and provide a can400 million tax revenue windfall for the government according to statistics canada1 public health officials contend that smoking cannabis is as harmful as tobacco but welcome what they call the opportunity that legalisation affords for open dialogue1 some doctors however remain wary. diane kelsall editor in chief of the canadian medical association journal called legalisation a national uncontrolled experiment in which the profits of cannabis producers and tax revenues are squarely pitched against the health of canadians1 police meanwhile are scrambling to prepare for a predicted uptick in drug-impaired driving1 its unclear as yet if the new framework will succeed in undercutting the black market as prices for illicit pot have plunged in the last year to an average of can6.79 per gram and most sellers had planned to charge more1 bill blair a former police chief in toronto who is trudeaus pointman for pot legalisation remains optimistic1 for almost a century criminal enterprises had complete control of this market 100 percent of its production and distribution and they profited in the billions of dollars each year. i suspect theyre not going to go gently into the night he told afp1 but the fact that some individuals want to cling to a prohibition model that has led to the highest rates of cannabis use of any country in the world is a little shocking to me he said1 according to a recent abacus data poll published on monday 70 percent of canadians accept or support legalisation1