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Canada Ready to Legalize Cannabis by Autumn

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[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]D[/dropcap]espite its generally liberal reputation, Canada has already experienced a few setbacks from lawmakers slowing down the process of legalization. Despite the hiccups, Canadian lawmakers are now saying cannabis is back on track to be legal by the end of summer.

According to CBC News, Sen. Denise Batters claimed that Bill C-45, which is set to make legalization a reality, is insufficient because it doesn’t offer enough legal protections for use. Specifically, she feels that the  age limit of 18 is too young, and that this would lead to consumption of cannabis among minors and continued activity in the black market. “We just had public safety officials admit in our legal committee [on Thursday, March 23] that for children under 18, they will continue to be buying in some fashion illegally, either by people who are entitled to have it . . . but mostly through black market sales,” Batters said.

However, despite this setback, Global News reports that Mark Holland, parliamentary secretary for the minister of public safety, said that cannabis was still on track for legalization, and would be legalized no later than September. “We’re working closely with the Senate and we feel confident, at this time, in that timeline of end of summer that we’re going to see a regime that will control and legalize cannabis,” he claimed.

He also openly pushed back against the idea that legal cannabis would cause more black market activity or consumption among minors, claiming instead that it would improve those issues. “Sure, I understand that folks are going to be perturbed by that because it is going to limit how they can sell to young people or be attractive to young people—but that’s the very point of what we’re doing,” he claimed. “We’re standardizing the packaging. We’re making sure that it isn’t attractive to young people. We’re making sure the warnings are present there, and that they can’t use marketing as a tool in the way that tobacco has.”

Canada has already faced a lot of issues regarding concern about high prices and the safety of drivers. Although there are certainly some bumps in the road, legal cannabis in Canada is going to be an economically huge step forward, and will surely be one of the most closely watched legal changes in the world.

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