CANADA BECOMES 2ND COUNTRY TO LEGALIZE USE OF MARIJUANA
Nearly a century of marijuana prohibition came to an end on Wednesday as Canada became the first major Western nation to legalize and regulate its sale and recreational use.
Bid to control use
“We’re not legalizing cannabis because we think it’s good for our health. We’re doing it because we know it’s not good for our children,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on the eve of the reform.
“We know we need to do a better job to protect our chil- dren and to eliminate or massively reduce the profits that go to organized crime.”
5.4 million Canadian market
The Cannabis Act, which fulfills a promise Trudeau made in the 2015 election campaign, makes Canada only the second nation after Uruguay to legalize the drug.
In total, Statistics Canada says 5.4 million Canadians will buy cannabis from legal dispensaries in 2018, or about 15 percent of the population. Around 4.9 million already smoke.
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 home.
Retail stores in 13 provinces
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 year’s end, the government predicts.
Sales of derivatives like edibles will be legalized next year.
To meet demand, hundreds of growers have been licensed, some taking over horticulture and floriculture greenhouses.
Sunrise industry
This new industry has attracted billions in funding, as well as interest from alcohol and soft drink makers which plan to develop cannabis-infused drinks.
Cannabis sales are forecast to boost economic growth by up to C$1.1 billion and a C$400-million tax revenue windfall for the government.