Cannabis shops for Canada after Senate supports recreational use

CANNABIS shops could open in Canada by the autumn after the country’s Senate approved legislation to legalise recreational marijuana.

The legislation allows those aged 18 or over to carry up to 30 grams (1oz) of the drug, although individual provinces could set their own higher age restrictions.

Bill C-45, or the Cannabis Act, passed the Senate with 52 votes in favour and 30 against after months of debate over the ramifications of legalisation.

The legislation will now go back to Canada’s house of commons, which passed the bill in November 2017, but needs to sign off on changes made by the Senate. It moves Canada a step closer to becoming the first member of the Group of Seven (G7) nations to legalise the production, sale and consumption of the drug.

Justin Trudeau, the prime minister, who campaigned to make cannabis legal during his 2015 election campaign, had suggested the legislation could result in cannabis shops opening within months of it being written into law.

The prime minister has admitted smoking marijuana “five or six times” with friends, most recently in 2010, when he was a member of parliament.

Mr Trudeau’s government attempted to shore up support ahead of Thursday’s vote by assuring senators it would address significant concerns they had with the bill. The government has pledged to set up marketing regulations and launch public relations campaigns to try to ensure that the policy does not encourage higher consumption.

However, the attempt to relax drug laws is expected to create a market worth around $5.7billion C$ (£3.3billion), based on last year’s consumption data. It means the country could eclipse California as North America’s biggest market for recreational marijuana.

Last month, Mr Trudeau said the world is closely following Canada’s plans and predicted several nations would follow suit. “They recognise that Canada is being daring... and recognise that the current regime (of prohibition) does not work, that it’s not preventing young people from having easy access to cannabis,” he said.

“In many countries, especially in Canada, it is easier (as a minor) to buy a joint than buy a beer,” Trudeau said. “Organised crime is making huge sums of money on the illicit sale of marijuana.”

The Trump administration has so far banned federal legislisation, meaning that American banks will not accept deposits or open accounts for marijuana businesses,

However, Mr Trump said yesterday that he “probably will end up supporting” a bill by a Republican senator from Colorado to protect the nine states and Washington DC that have legalised marijuana from any federal interference. The legislation was introduced by Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic senator, and Cory Gardner on Tuesday to allow businesses that sell marijuana, in states where it is legal, to avoid prosecution by the Justice Department.