Canada’s House Approves Federal Cannabis Legislation

Canada has been ahead of the curve on so many progressive issues. Universal healthcare, sensible gun laws and even cannabis decriminalization are all mainstays of progressive Canadian values. When it comes to the outright legalization of cannabis however, Canada has been lagging behind the U.S. a bit—But not for long. In fact, if the country’s proposed Bill C-45 passes, they’ll surpass the U.S. by ending cannabis prohibition on a national level.

The Canadian bill to legalize cannabis cleared the House of Commons on Wednesday, November 27. Now that the Members of Parliament (MPs) have passed the bill, it’s headed to the Senate where it will be further assessed and discussed. The Bill won with a majority, the vote was 200 MPs in favor and 82 against. Conservative members of the House of Commons attempted to hold up legalization with their own bill, but lost in a big way, with a 199-83 no vote.

The legislation roll-out, which includes product safety requirements and restrictions to prohibit minors under 18 from using cannabis, is scheduled to come into effect on July 1st 2018. Many conservative detractors have issue with this timeline. The Tories, as the Canadian Conservative party is called, will now have to rely on Conservative members of the Senate to block the passage of the bill, as it has moved from the House of Commons and on to the Senate Chamber, known in Canada as the Red Chamber thanks to its red decor.

Conservative Marilyn Gladu told CBC News that the Tories have been trying to convince the Liberal government to pull back on its “arbitrary” deadline to enact marijuana legalization. Gladu is advocating for a July 2019 roll out, as opposed to the Liberals’ current plan for July 2018.

The bill was passed with three reasonable amendments.

• A cap on home-grown cannabis plants over 100 centimeters, or 3.3 feet tall, was nixed in the first amendment. MPs in the Commons committee who have been studying the bill rightly concluded that a height requirement would be too difficult to mandate.
• Edible cannabis products must now be legally regulated within one year of the bill passing.
• The bill must be reviewed again in three years.

Despite conservative efforts to impede progress, and threats to continue blocking the passage of this bill in the Red Chamber, Liberal Canadians from both Justin Trudeau’s Liberal party and Elizabeth May’s Green Party, and across other part lines as well, approve of the bill and the amendments. Many have expressed excitement about its progress.

Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould? tweeted on Monday, “C-45 has now passed in the House of Commons. We’re one step closer to a #legal framework for the production, distribution, sale and possession of #cannabis across Canada. #cdnlaw” She was also quoted as calling the bill an “important milestone” prior to its passage.

A large part of the Liberal party’s agenda with cannabis legalization is quashing black market sales of cannabis, and helping keep kids away from cannabis through stricter regulations in a legal market. Prime Minister Trudeau spoke at an economic conference in 2016, as to why he supports ending cannabis prohibition in Canada. He told the Canadian audience, “we need to make sure that it’s harder for underage Canadians to access marijuana,” and spoke of the importance of getting cannabis profits out of the hands of criminals. The bill still has to hold up to scrutiny in the Red Chamber, but this progress and the refreshing attitudes of Canada’s Liberal leadership, are certainly optimistic.