Starting October 17th marijuana is legal to grow, sell and to buy throughout Canada. It doesn’t matter if you are using it or not, cannabis is coming, it is already here and as of today, it is sold in your local stores and online. People are still debating if it is good for Canada, what effect will it have on the youth and if it was the right decision to legalize it, we have to face the fact – cannabis is legal.
Police officers in Canada are training to be able to identify drivers who are under the influence of marijuana. This year, 161 million Canadian dollars were allocated to the training program for the law enforcement officers. At the end of the summer, the police also received the necessary equipment to check the level of narcotic substances in the blood, urine, and saliva.
At the moment, 833 police officers possess the necessary skills, the Canadian Association of Police Chiefs says. At the same time, it is necessary to prepare at least another 2 thousand people.
The Senate of Canada passed a bill on the legalization of marijuana. It was supported by 52 senators, 29 were against. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on that day that legalization would help solve the drug control problem: “It was too easy for our children to get cannabis and for criminals to make a profit.”
Businesses across the country, from growers and retailers to the tech and tourism sectors, are preparing to reap a windfall from legal marijuana. But Canadians also face difficult questions about cannabis use in the workplace, in their homes and among their friends and loved ones.
When the federal government legalized cannabis earlier this year, it left the provinces in charge of how the drug will be sold and where consumers can smoke it. Some things are mostly constant across the country: You can’t buy cannabis if you’re under 18 (though you may have to be 19 in some provinces), you can grow up to four plants at home (except in Manitoba and Quebec, where you can’t) and you’ll be able to carry up to 30 grams outside your residence.
The act, however, severely restricts underage people from possessing cannabis. You could face a maximum penalty of 14 years in jail if you give or sell cannabis to a youth, or if you use a youth to commit a “cannabis-related offense.” These are new criminal offenses.
It is completely up to every adult now to decide if they would like to buy and use marijuana, even share with adult friends. Let’s all be smart and responsible and make the best out of the cannabis legalization.