TORONTO (AP) — Canada’s government said Tuesday it would study a federal task force’s recommendation that Canadians over 18 years old be allowed to buy marijuana for recreational purposes and would announce new laws in the spring for legalizing pot.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has long promised to legalize recreational pot use and sales. If the legislation passes, Canada would be the largest developed country to end prohibition of recreational marijuana. In the United States, voters in California, Massachusetts, Maine and Nevada voted Nov. 8 to approve the use of recreational marijuana, joining Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska, where it was previously legalized. Uruguay in South America is the only nation to legalize recreational pot.
The marijuana task force, headed by former Canadian Health Minister Anne McLellan, recommended that adults be allowed to carry up to 30 grams of pot for recreational purpose and grow up to four plants. It also recommended that higher-potency pot be taxed at a higher rate than weaker strains. It also said recreational marijuana should not be sold in the same location as alcohol or tobacco. Under the proposals, alcohol-free cannabis lounges would be allowed.
The panel’s report noted public health experts tend to favor a minimum age of 21 as the brain continues to develop to about 25, but said setting the minimum age too high would preserve the illicit market. It said Canadian youth have higher rates of cannabis use than their peers worldwide.
Trudeau said the government plans to control and regulate the sale of marijuana to keep it out of the hands of kids and to remove a significant source of revenue for criminal organizations and street gangs.
McLellan said task force members travelled to Colorado and Washington and spoke to government officials in Uruguay to hear from those who have enacted policies to legalize pot.
“We are only the second nation to move forward in this way,” McLellan said, urging the Canadian government to use caution.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions to be the next U.S. attorney general has raised fears among supp0orters of legalized marijuana that the new administration could crack down on weed-tolerant states 20 years after California became the first to legalize medical marijuana.
Colorado now allows adults 21 and over to have up to an ounce of marijuana, without needing a doctor’s recommendation for the drug. Colorado also allows adults to grow up to six plants at home. And Denver has approved a first-in-the-U.S. law allowing people to use marijuana at bars, restaurants and other public spaces.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back in the dawn of time I ran ambulance for a very rural tiny town, i.e. everybody knew everybody, and when we’d get a call the address told us if there were stoners or drinkers involved. Stoners never gave us a problem while the booze hounds would fight the cops, us, and any neighbors that might come to watch the show. I’ll take stoners every damn time.
So, by not moving in this direction, Republicans reveal they want kids in the market, and want revenue flowing to organized crime.
I wonder why?
Well it’s about time. Glad to hear he is sticking with his ideas. I had read last year that Trudeau announced that all of Canada would be legal come 2017. The orange azs hole Trump and his band of idiots hopefully will concentrate on screwing up other parts of the country and Gov and leave this alone. I would have to think that since CA finally caught up to the rest, and if Canada gets this done soon it should become a done deal nation wide. I live in one of those west coast states that has legal weed, has not even been any noticeable problems or changes in our everyday life at all, and I know the state is really liking the massive tax revenue it generates. Our first yr estimate was 3 million, did a million the first month. The estimate for total income for the first year was like I said 3 million, now it’s at 9 million plus. It’s about time the public and states are taking advantage of this. This extra revenue can help a lot of states help a lot of people and do some good for a change. Plus it allows the cops to chase real criminals and frees up wasted jail space, now we just have to keep them from shooting first and asking questions later. Awesome news at any rate. Between this and Herr Trump taking over in a joke and a farce of an election, moving north is making more and more sense.
Because they are a useless bunch of azs clowns that don’t care what anyone thinks. Although at least in this state, I think we do have a few Republicans on board and the extra revenue is great. The GOP still is and has been useless.