Ottawa says legal pot under a new strict regulation regime will make it easier to keep it away from young people, to deprive organised crime of drug money, to reduce the burden on police and the justice system, and to improve public health.<doc-sep>Photo : AP On Thursday, Canada got one giant step closer to legalizing recreational marijuana when its Senate voted in favor of the measure. Advertisement Reuters reports that the Senate voted 56-30 in favor of legalization, but it also added amendments to the bill that the House of Commons will now need to vote on before the measure is passed. The amendments proposed by the Senate include more stringent advertising restrictions and granting provinces discretion to decide whether its citizens can grow marijuana in their homes. The legislation bill initially proposed by the Canadian government would allow Canadians up to four home-grown plants for personal use. Once the House approves the bill, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to ensure legal sale begins about three months later. Trudeau ran on a platform that included legalization of recreational cannabis. In other, rather countervailing, Canada news, Doug Ford, brother of THE Rob Ford, was projected on Thursday to have won his bid to be the next premier of Ontario, which had enjoyed control by the Liberal Party for nearly 15 years. Now it looks like Ford’s Progressive Conservative party (also referred to just as “The Conservatives”) will come into power. Ford ran on promises to cut taxes, bring back jobs, and make bottles of beer cost $1.<doc-sep>Canada is poised to legalise recreational marijuana across the country this week, making it the first G7 country to do so. The Canadian Senate is due to vote on Thursday on bill C-45, which would legalise the use and purchase of marijuana for people over 18. The bill has already passed the House of Commons, and is supported by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The Senate has studied the bill for six months and is expected to pass it. Sales of legal cannabis will not be permitted until two to three months after the legislation passes, the country’s health minister has said. Canada would be the first of the G7 countries – a group of seven of the world’s largest economies – to legalise the drug nationwide. Some of the countries, including Canada, have passed legislation allowing marijuana for medical use. Several US states have legalised recreational use of the drug. Becoming a leader in legalisation could have major impacts on Canada’s economy. Legal marijuana is expected to me a more than $6bn business, according to a report by financial services company Deloitte, with $4.3bn coming from recreational sales and $1.7bn from medical. In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Show all 26 1 /26 In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies A man wears a marijuana leaf mask during the annual 4/20 cannabis culture celebration at Sunset Beach in Vancouver, British Columbia AP In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies A lady smokes marijuana on Parliament Hill on 4/20 in Ottawa, Ontario Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies James Reed smokes a joint during the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies People sign a 4/20 sign on Parliament Hill on in Ottawa, Ontario Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies A woman smokes marijuana on Parliament Hill on 4/20 in Ottawa, Ontario. Polling released showed strong support in Canada for a government drive to legalise recreational use of marijuana, but many would like the proposed minimum age for consumption to be raised. Sixty-three percent of respondents told the Angus Reid Institute they support legalisation Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies A man smokes marijuana during the annual 4/20 marijuana rally on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Reuters In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Demonstrators smoke marijuana during the '4/20 Santiago' rally in favour of legalisation in front of the La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago, as part of the Global Marijuana March which is being held in hundreds of cities worldwide Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies People play with a mock marijuana joint during a 4/20 party to demand legalisation and to celebrate marijuana culture outside the Senate building in Mexico City, Mexico Reuters In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Adam Eidinger, co-founder of DCMJ, hands out free marijuana joints to DC residents who worked on Capitol Hill as part of the 1st Annual Joint Session to mark '4/20' day and promote legalising marijuana on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Police arrest Rachel Ramone Donlan after she handed out free marijuana joints to DC residents who worked on Capitol Hill as part of the 1st Annual Joint Session to mark '4/20' day and promote legalising marijuana on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC AFP/Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Police arrest Rachel Ramone Donlan after she handed out free marijuana joints to DC residents who worked on Capitol Hill as part of the 1st Annual Joint Session to mark '4/20' day and promote legalising marijuana on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Thousands of people gather to smoke marijuana during the '420 Santiago'rally in front of the La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies People attend the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Kevin Barron and Lasean Moore of Raleigh, North Carolina, share a joint during the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Nic Ruhl takes a pull on a giant hand rolled joint at precisely 4:20pm MDT during the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Various cannabis paraphernalia on display at a vendor's stall during the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Mo Banez, of Austin, Texas, lights a joint during the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies A man displays a large container of cannabis during the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado. The rally, held annually, is a celebration of both the legalisation of cannabis and cannabis culture.<doc-sep>Canada’s government is poised to approve sweeping cannabis legalization as soon as this week and could launch marijuana sales by late summer. The Canadian Senate, the members of which are appointed rather than elected, is likely to OK a legalization measure Thursday after years of quiet study and discussion. After House approval, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government expects to launch legal sales as soon as 10 to 12 weeks from now. Canada’s approach differs from that taken in the USA, where nine states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis, but there hasn't been a substantive national discussion about the widely used drug. As part of legalization, the Canadian government will probably inform citizens that admitting to marijuana use might get them barred from crossing the border into the USA, which classifies cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug with "no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse," according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. “We’ve very much learned from the early mistakes made by some U.S. states and other jurisdictions,” said Canadian Sen. Tony Dean, an independent who sponsored the bill in the Senate. “We know we have a national challenge with cannabis. We have some of the highest youth consumption rates in the world, an illegal cannabis market worth upward of $6 billion annually, we know it’s harmful for kids, especially younger kids … and we had a government that wanted to tackle those issues.” Trudeau and his Liberal Party included marijuana legalization as part of their 2015 campaign, and his government has worked toward creating a structure for recreational cannabis sales and consumption since taking office. Medical marijuana has been legal in Canada since 2001, and many U.S.-based cannabis companies have jockeyed for position in that market with an eye toward broader legalization. More:Medical marijuana used pot's emotional connection to spread nationally More:Marijuana industry poised for supercharged growth thanks to President Trump More:Seattle seeks to abolish hundreds of pot convictions in light of legal marijuana Recreational marijuana sales in Canada could be worth $3.3 billion by 2027, in part because businesses will find it easier to work nationally, instead of piecemeal like in the USA. Uruguay is the only other country to legalize marijuana; many countries have decriminalized it but prohibit sales. Canada’s regulations, which are being finalized, would permit people as young as 18 to buy marijuana from regulated stores and to grow small amounts at home, depending upon which province or territory they live in. The draft rules call for setting aggressive targets for reducing youth cannabis use, creating national standards for potency testing and packaging and setting tax rates low enough to undercut the black market. By legalizing marijuana at the federal level, the Canadian government sets the stage for more traditional investment while assuring entrepreneurs they can use banks like any other business. In the USA, many cannabis companies must conduct their operations with cash because banks worry the federal government will target them as drug traffickers. “Canada is creating a normal industry. What we have in the United States is a very abnormal industry,” said Roy Bingham, the CEO and co-founder of cannabis data firm BDS Analytics. “In Canada, you see tobacco, alcohol, pharmaceutical companies, all these mainstream industries interested in getting involved.” Bingham said many European countries are closely watching how legalization rolls out in Canada, even though California has more residents and a bigger marijuana marketplace: “It’s a respectable, well-regulated country with a democracy that people admire.” That’s bad news to Kevin Sabet, who runs the U.S.-based anti-legalization group Smart Approaches to Marijuana. Sabet has consulted with Trudeau’s government about his concerns over marijuana edibles, potency and the speed at which the country is moving toward broader cannabis access. His group warns that widespread marijuana legalization will create an industry similar to “Big Tobacco” with untold public health costs. “They’re being more deliberative than the U.S., yes, but that doesn’t mean they have the secret sauce,” Sabet said. “There are considerable concerns with how Canada is normalizing marijuana.” The plan discussed by the Canadian Senate this week lacks one major policy point many advocates pushed for: expunging the criminal records of people convicted for minor marijuana crimes. In California, which launched legal sales Jan. 1, some prosecutors wiped away those records, and prosecutors in Seattle seek to do the same. Dean said the Trudeau government assured the Senate it would address the issue of criminal records once the law was in place. He said that after decades of prohibition, Canada’s government is ready to treat marijuana and its users differently. “It’s a sophisticated piece of public policy that focuses on tackling challenges that were decades in the making,” he said. “We were frankly looking the other way for decades.”<doc-sep>
Canada’s senate has voted to legalise recreational marijuana, clearing a major hurdle as the country moves towards becoming the first in the G7 to fully legalise the drug. The country’s upper chamber voted 56-30 on Thursday in favour of legislation aimed at ending more than 90 years of prohibition. The senate, however, added nearly four dozen amendments, meaning the legislation will now return to the House of Commons for consideration. The federal Liberal government, led by Justin Trudeau, introduced the legislation last year in a bid to make Canada the second country in the world to legalise the cannabis, after Uruguay. Medical marijuana is already legal in Canada. The legislation divided the responsibilities between the federal and provincial governments, with Ottawa responsible for regulating production while leaving it to provinces and territories to decide how the drug will be distributed and sold. Once passed and implemented, those who want to grow their own marijuana will be limited to four plants per household. Canadians will be allowed to carry up to 30 grams of dried cannabis for personal use while those who sell or give marijuana to minors or who drive under its influence will face stiff penalties. Since becoming the Liberal leader in 2013, Trudeau has argued that the decriminalisation and regulation of marijuana would help keep the drug away from children and ensure profits don’t end up in the hands of what he described as “criminal elements.” While the sale of recreational marijuana is not expected to begin until August or September, the senate vote was one of the major obstacles standing in the way of legalisation as Conservatives senators sought to block the initiative. The many amendments added by the senate – and which will now be considered by MPs – reflect some of this opposition, such as tighter restrictions on advertising by cannabis companies and allowing provinces to prohibit home cultivation.