Marijuana still illegal for now
Justice minister reminds Canadians Cannabis Act isn’t in effect yet
The federal government is basking in the glow of its newly realized plan to legalize marijuana, but it is reminding Canadians that pot remains illegal in this country until the Cannabis Act goes into effect.
The government’s companion legislation on impaired driving is also expected to pass soon, said Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, but she added that driving under the influence of drugs has always been — and will remain — against the law in Canada.
“I urge all Canadians to continue to follow the existing law until the Cannabis Act comes into force,” Wilson-Raybould told a news conference Wednesday in the foyer of the House of Commons.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has a news conference of his own scheduled for later in the day, was expected to provide more details on precisely when that might be.
Bill C-46, a companion bill that Wilson-Raybould predicts will give Canada the strongest impaired-driving rules in the world, will also become law “in the near future,” she said.
Until then, “I would like to also remind the public that driving while impaired by drugs is, and will remain, illegal.”
It was clear, however, that there are still more questions than answers about what Canada’s
nascent legal-pot landscape will look like — how police will test motorists, what to do about those with prior marijuana convictions and just how the rules governing home cultivation will work.
Quebec and Manitoba have already decided to ban home-grown pot, even though the federal bill
specifies that individuals can grow up to four plants per dwelling.
On Tuesday, the Senate voted to end its opposition to certain aspects of the federal bill, most notably the plan to permit Canadians to cultivate marijuana plants at home. A proposed Senate amendment would have prevented legal
challenges to their constitutional right to do so.
Wilson-Raybould called the legislation — which still requires royal assent to become law — “transformative” and predicted it would protect young people and keep organized crime out of the pot market.