Cannabis to be legal in Canada on October 17th
Posted Jun 20, 2018 1:21 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says recreational cannabis will be legal in Canada as of Oct. 17.
Trudeau made the announcement during question period in the House of Commons, which is expected to rise for the summer break after Wednesday.
He says the government has delayed the legalization schedule in order to give the provinces and territories more time to implement their regimes.
On Tuesday, the Senate voted to end its opposition to certain aspects of the federal bill, most notably the plan to permit Canadians to cultivate cannabis plants at home.
A proposed Senate amendment would have prevented legal challenges to their constitutional right to do so.
Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould called the legislation — which still requires royal assent to become law — “transformative” and predicted it would protect young people and keep organized crime out of the cannabis market.
But she’s reminding Canadians that until it goes into effect, recreational cannabis remains illegal, as is driving while impaired.
