Canada legalises marijuana for recreational use
TORONTO:
At the stroke of midnight as Tuesday rolled into Wednesday, Canada became the first G7 nation to legalise the sale and recreational use of marijuana and only the second major country globally after Uruguay to do so.
Given that the vast North American country has multiple time zones, the first lines to purchase marijuana legally started forming in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and as the hour chimed, Ian Power and Nikki Rose became the first Canadians to buy the product at a retail outlet.
The outlet, Tweed, is operated by Canadian cannabis company Canopy and its CEO Bruce Linton was present for the historic moment the first sale was rung up. CBC News quoted him as saying to customers, “When’s the last time you bought a gram and got a receipt for it? Never happened.”
The legalisation of marijuana came about following the passage of the Cannabis Act by Parliament, after the measure was introduced and backed by the Justin Trudeau government. Several provinces have initiated different rules for implementing the act, and while the legal age to buy cannabis is 19 in a majority of the country, it is 18 in a couple of provinces.
According to a special information website set up by the Canadian government, adults can “possess up to 30 grams of legal cannabis, dried or equivalent in non-dried form in public”, can share a similar amount with other adults, and grow up to four plants per residence for personal use, using licensed seeds or seedlings.
Selling or providing weed to minors and those under the legally permitted age is a punishable offence. According to The Associated Press, the government is also considering withdrawing criminal charges against those who had earlier been booked for possessing up to 30 grams of cannabis.
More than 100 stores have already become operational in Canada as marijuana goes mainstream. However, in some provinces, such as the largest, Ontario, there are no brick-and-mortar stores yet, though nearly 50 products are available at the Ontario Cannabis Store, an online outlet.
These include such items such as Bali Kush, Buddha Haze, God Bud, and Shishkaberry.