OTTAWA -- Canadians will be able to legally purchase and consume recreational marijuana by mid-September at the latest after the Senate voted Tuesday to lift almost a century-old prohibition on cannabis. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government had hoped to make pot legal by July 1, but the government has said provincial and territorial governments will need eight to 12 weeks following Senate passage and royal assent to prepare for retail sales. "We're probably looking at a date of implementation (of legalization) somewhere toward the beginning of September, perhaps mid-September," the Liberal government's pointman on the pot file, Bill Blair, told broadcaster CTV on Sunday. Canada’s House of Commons voted Tuesday to legalize recreational marijuana nationwide, and the proposed law will now head to the country’s Senate, where it faces an uncertain future, NPR News is reporting. The proposed law would make it legal for anyone who's over 18 years old to possess marijuana, provided that it's less than 30 grams (just over an ounce). However, Dean and other senators stressed that the government is taking a very cautious, prudent approach to this historic change. Our plan to legalize & regulate marijuana just passed the Senate," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted in reaction to the bill's passage Tuesday. Statistics Canada has estimated that the market will be worth Can$5.7 billion (U.S.$4.5 billion), based on last year's consumption data. The law will also require royal assent from the Governor General, acting on behalf of Canada’s constitutional sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II.
The House of Commons of Canada votes to legalize recreational cannabis. The bill will now head back to the Senate, where it is expected to be passed into law.