Canada legalizes cannabis
On June 19, 2018, the Canadian Senate voted to legalize recreational cannabis by a 52-29 vote with two abstentions. Yesterday, Justin Trudeau made a proclamation yesterday at the House of Commons that the official date that recreational cannabis will be available for purchase in Canada is October 17, 2018. The Bill still requires Royal Assent, which is scheduled to occur this morning, and will be the final step.
Although many expected that the date would be some time in September, the chosen date is a direct response to the Provinces collective requests for more time to finalize and implement their plans for retail sales and distribution.
As a refresher, the freshly minted Cannabis Act will allow adults in Canada who are of the minimum age in their Province or Territory to:
- possess up to 30 grams of dried cannabis or equivalent in non-dried form in public (this threshold has been maintained across the Country);
- purchase dried or fresh cannabis and cannabis oil from a provincially-licensed retailer (either private or public, depending on the province or territory); and
- grow up to 4 cannabis plants per residence for personal use from licensed seed or seedlings (though some Provinces may limit this ability)
Originally published on Canada Cannabis Legal on June 21, 2018.
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