The Great White North is about to become even greater next summer.
A senior government official on Monday said that Canadians should be able to legally smoke and use marijuana by July 1, 2018, reports the Associated Press.
Under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the liberal government is set to introduce legislation to legalize marijuana this week, which lawmakers say would put the bill on schedule to go into effect by the estimated date.
The government is expected to follow guidelines set by a marijuana task force that recommends adults should be allowed to carry up to 30 grams of cannabis for personal use and grow up to four plants. Strains with higher potencies could be taxed at a higher rate than weaker strains. The law would also allow alcohol-free cannabis lounges and let provinces set their own minimum age of either 18 or 21 years old.
Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould declined to confirm the July 2018 deadline, but said in a statement that the government is committed to introducing legislation carefully.
“This will be done in a careful way to keep it out of the hands of children and youth, and to stop criminals from profiting,” the statement said. “In order to meet our commitment to legalize, the legislation will need to pass through the parliamentary process in a timely fashion.”
Prime Minister Trudeau promised to legalize marijuana when he was elected in 2015, and the country has already seen its first marijuana TV advertisement debut last year.
SOURCE: SFGATE.COM Oscar Pascual