TORONTO- Canada’s upper house of parliament on Tuesday approved a revised bill to legalise recreational marijuana, setting the stage for the country to become the first Group of Seven nation to legalise cannabis.
The Canadian Senate voted 52-29 in favour of the revised bill from the elected House of Commons, this pave the way for a fully legal cannabis market within eight to 12 weeks.
Prime minister Justin Trudeau whose party the Liberals have successfully implemented their promise from their 2015 election campaign, they argued legalising weed would keep it out of the hands of children and reduce related crimes.
The prime minister tweeted, “It’s been too easy for our kids to get marijuana – and for criminals to reap the profits. Today, we change that. Our plan to legalize & regulate marijuana just passed the Senate.”
Canada becomes the first major economy to fully legalise cannabis and it will be a precedent for countries looking to follow the same path.
“I’m feeling just great,” CBC News quoted Tony Dean, who sponsored the bill in the Senate, as saying. “The end of 90 years of prohibition. Transformative social policy, I think. A brave move on the part of the government.”
Photo Credit- Deutsche Welle
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