Canada has just passed a bill regulating recreational marijuana use.
The Canabis Act won on Tuesday by a 52-28 vote in the Senate. This bill controls how the drug can be grown, distributed, and sold.
By as early as September, recreational marijuana will be available to the Canadian public for purchase and consumption. Though Cannabis possession became a crime in Canada in 1923, medical use has been legal since 2001.
Canada is the second country to legalise the sale of cannabis for recreational use after Uruguay. A number of US states have also voted to permit it.
After the bill is set to receive Royal Assent, the government will then choose an official date when the law will come into force.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a statement after the bill was passed.
It’s been too easy for our kids to get marijuana – and for criminals to reap the profits. Today, we change that. Our plan to legalize & regulate marijuana just passed the Senate. #PromiseKept
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) June 20, 2018
Prime Minister Trudeau made this promise in his campaign in 2015, saying that the nearly century-old laws criminalising the use of marijuana have been ineffective.
Though Canada just legalized it, the government has set the limits of its legalization. Possessing 30 grams of cannabis, growing more than four plants per household, and buying from an unlicensed dealer still remain illegal.
Selling the drug to a minor is still punishable with up to 14 years of jail time. Some critics say that the penalties are too severe and are not proportional to selling alcohol to minors.
One thing’s for sure, Canadians must be on a high after this news!