While the United States is slowly legalizing marijuana nationwide, Canada will announce legislation next month that will legalize marijuana in Canada by July 1, 2018.
CBC reported that the bill to decriminalize weed will go into effect on July 1, 2017, and will allow men and women 18 and older to purchase marijuana and keep up to four plants in their household. Also, Canadian provinces will have an option to increase the minimum age if they decide too.
However, marijuana will remain a federal crime until proper regulations are legislated. Former Justice Minister Anne McLellan, who helped push the bill, explained to Foreign Policy what to expect over the course of 2017: “Until we have a framework to control and regulate marijuana, the current laws apply.”
Ultimately, the Canadian federal government will overlook the supply and license producers of weed, but provinces will regulate the distribution, sale, and prices of the plant.
In case you did not know, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was able to gain the youth vote after promising the legalization of weed.
This news comes after recent research examining how legalized marijuana impacted teens and children. Researchers at the University of California Davis School of Medicine and Columbia University’s Depart of Psychiatry studied marijuana legalization last year and reported the results last December. Researchers found cannabis use among eighth and 10th graders in Washington increased by 2 and 4 percent, respectively. But, in Washington, the perceived harmfulness of pot decreased by 16.1 percent among 10th graders.
Expect to hear your coworkers, friends and family members calling for the move to Canada over the next few months. Especially considering how synthetic marijuana is viewed as a “public health concern.”