Yesterday, the Canadian Senate voted on the legalization of recreational marijuana. As expected, they approved Bill C-45, which will allow anyone over the age of 18 to purchase weed. Canada is the first G7 country to completely legalize weed nationwide. According to The Independent, the upper chamber Senate voted 56 to 30 in favor of the bill on Thursday. They also included amendments that the House of Commons will need to compromise on before the law can be passed though. The amendments proposed by the Senate involve stricter advertising restrictions and giving provinces control over whether or not Canadians can grow marijuana in their homes.
Legal marijuana is expected to bring in over $6 billion in business. Regulations for the legal selling of weed requires the product be sold in clear packaging with limited branding and capped prices to help destroy the illegal sales of the plant. Canadian lawmakers are especially concerned with battling the illegal sales of marijuana, and will be closely monitoring the black market sales of the plant. “If the black market can still operate profitably, there will need to be significant justice resources devoted to enforcement,” said Rosalie Wyonch, a policy analyst at the non-profit economics think tank the CD Howe Institute.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to legalize marijuana during his 2015 general election campaign. This vote marks an enormous win for his Liberal Party.