Canada: Cannabis legalization passes second reading in the Senate

Canada to legalize cannabis next summer but the bill still has to be approved by the Senate. Visit Cannabis Act (Bill C-45) passed its second reading in the Senate by a vote of 44 to 29. A third and final reading now remains in June before the text becomes law.

Vote result on second reading of Bill #C45. Yeas: 44 Nays: 29 #SenCA #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/rT0LKSJs4Q

- Senate of Canada (@SenateCA) March 22, 2018

As reported by Leafly, the vote almost fell through. Some Conservative senators voiced their opposition to the bill's passage. Senator Pierre-Hughes Boisvenu described the Cannabis Act a «pile of shit», explaining that it was «very badly» written and that it would be an «excellent exercise» to rewrite it.

To prevent the bill from stalling, Justin Trudeau urged independent and Liberal senators to come back and vote. The bill passed with flying colors.

The vote was applauded by Cannabis Canada Association. «We are delighted that the Senate has chosen the path of accountability and regulation as opposed to the stigma and prohibition of the past decades,» said Allan Rewak, Director of the Association. «Today is another important milestone for our industry, for Canada and for good public policy.»

«Prohibition has failed. Canada has one of the highest rates of cannabis use in the world, and a significant number of our citizens are consuming products grown illegally, without any control or monitoring,« added Neil Closner, Chairman of the Board of Cannabis Canada. «Today's vote is one step closer to creating a regulated system for adult consumers that prevents cannabis from being consumed by children and prevents organized crime.»