The Trudeau administration is anticipated to introduce legislation in early April to regulate the use, production, and sale of marijuana. In 2015, the Liberal Party pledged to “legalize and regulate” marijuana if Justin Trudeau became Prime Minister.
The forthcoming legislation will likely be modeled after recommendations issued by a federal task force in 2016. Members of the task force called on Parliament to permit those over 18 to possess and grow personal use quantities of marijuana, and further recommended lawmakers regulate and tax the commercial cannabis market.
The pending legalization legislation is expected to be introduced the week of April 10, CBC News has reported. Proponents of the measure are seeking to achieve its implementation by July 1, 2018.
Until that time, however, Canadian police are continuing to enforce marijuana prohibition. In recent weeks, police in several Canadian cities – including Toronto and Vancouver – carried out raids of various storefront dispensaries, including those operated by longtime activists Marc and Jodie Emery.
They really need to work out what happens in the next 14 months or so until this law is passed. It seems silly to prosecute people for something that is going to be legal just a few months later. They needed to announce some sort of formal amnesty on personal use and cultivation. In fact any store that is behaving responsibly should not be a priority either but they should be told what will be required of them to stay open after July 2018. There is no reason why public (re-)education cannot begin immediately as well
I am looking forward to planning a vacation in Canada if they have koffieshops.
Ik hou van Nederland!
Hooray for Canada! I’m guessing that legalization north of our border can only help our cause. Wish we had Trudeau as our president.
Really proud of Canada. Our leadership could learn a lot from the examples they have been setting lately from human rights, environmental issues and yes even Mary Jane. Remember – Legalization without Commercialization!!
@ Donna,
Legalization without commercialization is an unreasonable and unrealistic demand in a society that uses money for trade. You want the DEA to raid dispensaries — that’s legalization without commercialization, that’s what Jeff Sessions wants too: shut down the dispensaries. This makes you a prohibitionist, Donna.
There is no such thing as legalization without commercialization — that’s called “marijuana prohibition” so stop talking shit.
Donna isn’t interested in discussion — you might as well be arguing with your TV set. Either she really is a robot, or she is the type of person who acts like a TV set, which is even more repugnant. Such an individual is a propagandist, and as such, does not have your best interests in mind.
Beware of taking advice from Donna.
Hemp Hemp Canada? Ca$hing in on our demand before we can get our $#!+ together? How progressive of you Trudeau!
Remember: Legalization wouldnt have happened without fairly taxed commercialization!
Reason would dictate, (not that anyone would necessarily listen), that America would face a huge logical vector towards legalization as well, else face a mess of judicial costs and issues — as if the current shitstorm wasn’t windy enough.
If I was a Canadian I would be feeling very proud of my country. As an American, I am sad to tell you I feel embarassed. Considering America is a country that is founded on freedom and human rights, it seems to have taken a 180 in recent history.
I hope that our leaders, the real ones (not the people who play the blame game), will be able to get our country back on the right track and end the current stupidity that seems to rule the day.