Oh Canada! The great country to the north voted to fully legalize cannabis in the country, making them the second country to do so. Now, the country has a date for the when the country goes legal.
Per Leafly
Today Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that recreational cannabis will be legal in Canada as of October 17.
The Prime Minister expressed hope that Canada’s cannabis retail systems will be ready to do business on the date of legalization.
Trudeau made the announcement during question period in the House of Commons, which is expected to rise for the summer break after today. Trudeau said the government delayed the timetable for lifting the almost century-old prohibition on cannabis at the request of larger provinces, including Quebec, which asked for more time to make the transition to a legal regime for regulating the production, distribution and consumption of cannabis. At an afternoon press conference, Trudeau expressed hope that the nation’s cannabis retail systems will be ready to do business on October 17.
On Tuesday, the Senate approved Bill C-45, the bill establishing the new legal regime, after seven months of intensive study and debate.
Senators also dropped their insistence on amendments to the bill, most notably one that would have authorized provincials and territorial governments to prohibit the home cultivation of marijuana plants if they choose.
Wilson-Raybould stressed that pot remains illegal in Canada until the new law goes into effect in October. “I urge all Canadians to continue to follow the existing law until the Cannabis Act comes into force,” she told a news conference.
Bill C-46, a companion bill that Wilson-Raybould predicts will give Canada the strongest impaired-driving rules in the world, is also expected to be passed in the next day or two by the Senate.
Until then, Wilson-Raybould said: “I would like to also remind the public that driving while impaired by drugs is, and will remain, illegal.”
Questions over expungement and home grow are still up in the air, but so far, the country can expect to see a legal cannabis market in October.