Health Minister Jane Philpott, speaking at a special session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, said the Canadian law will ensure marijuana is kept away from children and keep criminals from profiting from its sale. “We will work with law enforcement partners to encourage appropriate and proportionate criminal justice measures,” she said. “We know it is impossible to arrest our way out of this problem.” 
 
 The announcement came on April 20, a day celebrated by some cannabis advocates as “weed day.” Hundreds gathered outside Canada’s Parliament on Wednesday to smoke marijuana. Former Toronto police chief Bill Blair, the government’s point man on legalization, has emphasized current laws banning marijuana remain in effect, but illegal dispensaries have multiplied after the Liberals came to power. And so, we're looking at regulations with respect to production, distribution, the retail and consumption of marijuana and we want to make sure that it's based on the best advice from experts." "There are thousands and thousands of mostly young people who will have criminal records for the rest of their lives because (Prime Minister) Justin Trudeau did not respect his promise to legalize marijuana as soon as he took office," he said. Mulcair said if the Liberal government found the issue too complicated they should immediately decriminalize marijuana and address complex issues like supply later. Smoke rises as people smoke marijuana during an annual 4/20 rally on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada, April 20, 2016.
– The Canadian government says the timing was just a coincidence, but they certainly made this year's 4/20 a day to remember for the country's pot smokers: Health Minister Jane Philpott announced in a speech to the United Nations that the government will introduce a recreational pot legalization bill next year to "keep marijuana out of the hands of children and profits out of the hands of criminals," the CBC reports. Philpott said the government will launch a task force to look at every aspect of legalization, including taxation. Former Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair is the government's point man on legalization legislation, which will fulfill one of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's campaign promises, reports Reuters. Medical marijuana is already legal across the country. Clive Weighill, president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, tells the Toronto Star that the move leaves police in a "gray zone" for the next year. "I've never in my career come up against a law that we know is imminently going to be changed and is causing this much consternation," says Weighill, who hopes his organization will be part of the task force designing the framework for legalization. Legalization advocates cheered the announcement, though it's not clear whether the news has reached Alberta-born Tommy Chong of Cheech and Chong yet: "Happy 4/20 to everyone around the universe," he tweeted. "I got so high I daydreamed I was smoking with an alien." Click for more 4/20 news.