The post Recreational Marijuana in Canada Will Be Delayed appeared first on High Times.
There’s bad news for those hoping to blaze up north this summer. Today, the Canadian federal government announced that recreational marijuana in Canada will be delayed. The government will not cast the final vote on bill C-45 until July 7th. And it will take 8 to 12 weeks following that vote for Canada’s provinces and territories to prepare their own policies and infrastructure for retail marijuana sales.
It seems that Justin Trudeau’s prediction that Canada would legalize weed by July 1st was overly optimistic.
What is bill C-45?
Two significant bills comprise Canada’s marijuana legalization initiative introduced last year on April 14th: C-45 and C-46. The first one legislates the sale, cultivation, and use of marijuana. The second one toughens laws to stop driving under the influence. On July 7th, the Canadian Senate will be voting on C-45, the more contentious of the two bills.
Under these new laws, Canadians 18 and older can have up to 30 grams of cannabis, purchase weed from licensed retail locations, and grow up to four marijuana plants.
Why the delay?
Politics. The conservative Tory party has been pushing for more time to study the impacts of legal weed on law enforcement, national health, and minors. Conservatives view the July 7th date—as opposed to the May date proposed by Senate liberal Peter Harder—as a victory.
The police force, too, asked for more time to prepare for implementing this new legislation. They also requested that the government rethink letting people grow their own marijuana at home.
After hearing the Canadian Association of Chiefs of